Aurora, CO (12293 E Iliff Ave)

12293 E Iliff Ave was a Showbiz Pizza Place which opened on January 28, 1981 with a Rock-afire Explosion, and closed on April 20, 1994, as a Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza with a 3-Stage.

This location is widely recognized as the location of the 1993 Aurora, Colorado shooting^[1], which ultimately led to the location's closure in 1994.

The store itself was located in the Iliff Commons Shopping Center. (When it first opened, the shopping plaza it was in was called the London Square Shopping Center.)

Stages

The location opened with a Rock-afire Explosion show; then received the Showbiz Pizza Campground upgrade in the late '80s.^[2]

The stage show was converted into the Concept Unification Stage between 1991 and 1992 and remained intact until the store's closure.

History

Aurora opened on January 28, 1981, as the 10th Showbiz Pizza Place location and the first location in Colorado. The store opened with the Beta Rockafire when it first opened. Some after, the Beta cosmetics were replaced by the newer cosmetics, but the Beta props stayed behind. In either 1982 or 1983, the Beta props and cosmetics were replaced by the default cosmetics and the props were changed to reflect it. The store would remain like this until it received the SPT 1988 Remodel Program. This was also around this time, (sometime in either 1989 or 1990.) Billy Bob's stage was replaced with the Showbiz Pizza Campground stage and added windows to the Show Room. Also during this remodel, the store would recieve PTT art, the Ball-Crawl, new games and rides, and received a 1983 Chuck E walkaround. (Which would later be replaced with a 1991 Tuxedo Chuck walkaround.)

Between 1991 and 1992, the location underwent Concept Unification. Sometime in either late 1992 or early 1993, the store would get the newer Tuxedo Chuck walkaround along with the '92 Helen, Jasper, and Pasqually walkarounds.^[3] (It's currently unknown if they ever got a Munch walkaround.)

1993 Aurora Shooting

On December 14, 1993, disgruntled kitchen worker Nathan Dunlap shot and killed four people and injured one other after being fired from the location days before. Immediately following the shooting, Showbiz Pizza Time offered assistance to the families of the victims, who were all employees, while also announcing the location would close indefinitely ^[4].

1994 Reopening Plans & Closure

On March 4, 1994, Showbiz Pizza Time announced their intent to reopen the Aurora location in April 1994. The reopening would follow a full remodel of the location ^[5]^[6].

"We have gone through intense soul-searching because we are committed to the greater Denver community and want to do what's right," said ShowBiz Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard M. Frank. "In the end, we were taken by the overwhelming number of calls and letters we received from Aurora families asking us to reopen."

The announcement was met with mixed perception from the immediate families of the victims, with some agreeing the restaurant should reopen and others dismayed as to how the reopening plan was treated as a "media event" ^[7].

The company ultimately did not reopen the location as relatives of the victims objected to it; a family resource center was proposed by parents in Aurora hoping that Showbiz would transfer the remaining two years on its lease ^[8].

Current Day

The location was eventually split into multiple retail outlets, including Panera Bread.

Nathan Dunlap was found guilty of the murders and received a death sentence. Colorado abolished the death penalty in 2020, so Dunlap now faces life to prison without parole ^[9].

Games

This is the list of the games that were claimed to be featured in the restaurant. (Most of these games would also be retained when it became CEC.)

Skee-Ball (Later Chuck E. Cheese Roll)
Pac-Man
Ms. Pac Man
Air Hockey
Whack-A-Mole
Dig-Dug
Centipede
Galaga
Road Blasters
Pole Position
Paper-Boy
Bowler Roller
Bubble Hockey
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
V.S Hogan's Alley

Gallery

Center Stage w/ beta cosmetics (1981)
The stage w/ the newer cosmetics and beta props. (PC: The Denver Post)
The exterior after the shooting
A close up look at the exterior after the shooting.
An image showing part of Aurora's prize counter, gameroom, and showroom.
The store's kitchen
Guests posing in front of the 3-Stage (1990s)
The front entrance of the store with a “Gone With The Wing” poster (1993)
View of the exterior from the parking lot (1990s)

Animatronics


Animatronic	Serial Number	Whereabouts
Chuck E. Cheese / Rolfe DeWolfe	10-80 1-3	Unknown
Pasqually / Dook Larue	10-80 2-3	Unknown
Mr. Munch / Fatz Geronimo	10-80 3-3	Unknown
Jasper T. Jowls / Beach Bear	10-80 4-3	Unknown
Helen Henny / Mitzi Mozzarella	10-80 5-3	Unknown
Billy Bob	10-80 6-3	Unknown
Pizzacam / Looney Bird	10-80 7-3	Unknown
Munch Jr. / Choo Choo	10-80 8-3	Unknown
Building / Sun	10-80 10-3	Unknown
Moon	10-80 11-3	Unknown
Antioch	N/A	Unknown
Wink	N/A	Unknown

References

Videos

Link	Description	Filming Date
Link	Showcase of the gameroom, and the dining room.	July 30, 1990

[1] ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Aurora,_Colorado_shooting

[2] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZFCgxqwkSo&t=181s

[3] ttps://yt3.ggpht.com/vfruVvhLwwNHX5re6biPbOgcvqiJQ1MixIC7kgbwjK7K8u1761ICPwzO2D1_i9lDetL_pO1bOc3wDv0=s800-rw-nd-v1

[4] ttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-observer-aurora-cec-dec-93/141331280/

[5] ttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-sentinel/141331868/

[6] ttps://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram/141331751/

[7] ttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-sentinel/141331868/

[8] ttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-sentinel/141331549/

[9] ttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-sentinel/141333739/

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]