11 Comments

The Beef Eaters building on 300 W. Camelback is awaiting its new destiny.  In its heyday, it was a happening dinner spot in the Valley, complete with a gorgeous bar, lots of comfortable booth seating, a community room, a huge kitchen that could serve several restaurants and a cellar basement.

From the outside, it’s difficult to see the character of the building.  I’ve been known to say that this building isn’t anything special architecturally.  But when I saw these photographs by Dan Semenchuk, I got a new appreciation for the place.

Dan captures the stories and the life that happened inside the walls of Beef Eaters.  His images are so ensconced in mystery, they make you ask: what was it like in Beef Eaters before it went defunct?  Who are the people who ran the till, who poured the drinks in those glasses, who cooked in that enormous kitchen?  What went on in the basement of Beef Eaters?  What families sat in those booths and what did they talk about?  Who used the community room and what life-changing decisions were made there?

Thanks Dan for bringing to life, capturing and documenting the memories of Beef Eaters before it meets its new destiny, which hopefully will build on the incredible legacy of its former life.

Dan Semenchuk has been interested in urban development and adaptive reuse ever since he moved from Denver in 1980. He is the founder of Creative Connect which builds community among creative people. Taking pictures is one of his creative outlets.

Photo Credit:  All photos by Dan Semenchuk


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11 Responses

  1. Steve Weiss says:

    Fantastic. The anti-thesis of the flash lit document. These are the way to sell this place to a potential buyer/leaser…I can only hope what happens does justice to the mood Dan’s photos create.

    What’s the name of the guy who owns Pallazzo etc on Central, Steven something? Knew him a long time ago…he needs to see this space!

  2. Taz Loomans says:

    Hmmm, I don’t know Steve, maybe someone else can help us out…Any one know who owns Pallazo on Central?

  3. Diane D'Angelo says:

    Has the inside been gutted yet?

  4. Steve Weiss says:

    The one thing I see gone from the bar…there were a large number of nudes, all sort of cheesecake/Playboy style paintings…deal was,you couldn’t see any of them unless you actually sat at the bar, as they ran upa wall that was only visible from the bar.

    Totally tacky, totally 50’s 60’s “boy’s club” cheesy. A time capsule of chauvinism.

  5. John D. says:

    “…PHOTOGRAPHS CAPTURE THE HEYDAY OF BEEF EATERS”?

    Not sure I understand the title of the article in relation to the photos shown of an abandoned business.

    I sort of expect to see what the place looked like when it was humming in the 60s.

    In later years the place became a mishmash of additions that really didn’t seem to fit together.

  6. January says:

    I agree with John D. The title misled me to think I’d be viewing old pictures of the restaurant when it was in its heyday, not of the building as it is now. Love the pictures though and they are very ‘ghostly’. How were you able to gain access to the property?

  7. Jon M. says:

    Who is the owner of these photographs. I sure wouls like to get one of that oil painting of the devil being roped by the cowboys that used to hang on the wall as you entered the place. jmarion88 @ yahoo . com

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