One of the Camelback Corridor’s most recognizable restaurant buildings is headed for the wrecking ball, as Hillstone Restaurant Group moves to demolish the former Donovan's Steak & Chop House and clear the way for a new project on the high-profile corner.
The City of Phoenix issued a demolition permit to Hillstone Restaurant Group Inc. on Tuesday, according to the Phoenix Business Journal. The permit authorizes Hillstone to tear down the shuttered steakhouse while the company evaluates redevelopment options for the Camelback site, a move that could reshape one of the Biltmore area’s most visible restaurant parcels.
Property at a prime Camelback corner
The building sits at 3101 E. Camelback Road and is listed as permanently closed in local directories. MapQuest identifies the address and shows the former restaurant’s online listing as closed. The property’s spot near Biltmore Fashion Park and the Waldorf Astoria Biltmore helps explain why developers keep circling the corner.
Donovan's place in the dining strip
Before its closure, Donovan's was a fixture on the Camelback dining strip, a classic white-tablecloth steakhouse amid a cluster of upscale spots. The restaurant closed in 2018, according to the Phoenix Business Journal, leaving a conspicuous hole in a corridor known for big-ticket dinners and business deals over steaks.
Donovan's long tenure on Camelback and its role in the local dining scene have been noted by outlets such as AZ Big Media, which highlighted the restaurant during its run.
Why the move matters
Hillstone’s decision to move forward with demolition underscores the redevelopment pressure along Camelback, where older restaurant and retail buildings are frequently reimagined for new concepts. Clearing the Donovan's structure signals that the corner is headed for a reset, even if the precise future of the site is still under wraps.
Next steps and timeline
The demolition permit is the first formal city approval Hillstone needs to clear the property. Additional building permits and, potentially, design reviews will be required before any new construction can start. As of Tuesday, no public construction plans or renderings were attached to the filing, and neither Hillstone nor the property’s owner had released a timeline for what comes next.
