Aurora, CO (12293 E Iliff Ave): Difference between revisions

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{{Generic|image=Chuck-e-cheese.jpg|desc=Aurora, CO's exterior after the 1993 shooting incident.}}
{{Generic|image=AuroraExterior.jpeg|desc=The exterior before closure.}}


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


This location is widely recognized as the location of the 1993 Aurora, Colorado shooting<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Aurora,_Colorado_shooting</ref>, which ultimately led to the location's closure in 1994.
This location is infamous for the fatal shooting done by Nathan Dunlap on December 14, 1993, after hours.


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.)
This location is not to be confused with the Pizza Time Theatre on [[Aurora, CO (634 Peoria St)|634 Peoria St]] which opened in 1982 (Unknown Day & Month) & closed in 1984 (Unknown Day & Month) with a Balcony Stage or the current location on [[Aurora, CO (14005 E Exposition Ave)|14005 E Exposition Ave]], which opened on November 2, 1999 with a Studio C Alpha, and is still open with the 2.0 remodel.


== Stages ==
== Stages ==
The store at first contained a [[Classic Stage|Rock-afire Explosion]] show. It is unknown if they received the Showbiz Pizza Campground upgrade in the late '80s. It was changed into a [[3-Stage]] between 1991 and 1992 due to [[Concept Unification]]. The 3-Stage remained until the April 1994 closure. It is unknown what happened to the bots following the store's closure whether they were recycled for parts, sent back to SPT, or trashed.
The location opened with a [[Classic Stage|Rock-afire Explosion]] show; then received the Showbiz Pizza Campground upgrade in the late '80s.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZFCgxqwkSo&t=181s</ref>

The stage show was converted into the [[Concept Unification Stage]] between 1991 and 1992 and remained intact until the store's closure.
== History ==
== 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.)
Aurora opened on January 28, 1981, with the Rock-afire Explosion. Unfortunately, information on Aurora as a Showbiz is scarce.

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.<ref>https://yt3.ggpht.com/vfruVvhLwwNHX5re6biPbOgcvqiJQ1MixIC7kgbwjK7K8u1761ICPwzO2D1_i9lDetL_pO1bOc3wDv0=s800-rw-nd-v1</ref> (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 <ref>https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-observer-aurora-cec-dec-93/141331280/</ref>.

=== 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 <ref>https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-sentinel/141331868/</ref><ref>https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram/141331751/</ref>. <blockquote>"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." </blockquote>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" <ref>https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-sentinel/141331868/</ref>.

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 <ref>https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-sentinel/141331549/</ref>.


=== Current Day ===
Between 1991 and 1992, the location underwent [[Concept Unification]] and recieved the [[1986 SPT Remodel Program|1986 SPT remodel]].[[File:AuroraCOIliffOutsideNightOfShooting.jpeg|thumb|Responders outside of the store the night after the massacre.]]
The location was eventually split into multiple retail outlets, including Panera Bread.
=== December 1993 Massacre ===
In May 1993, a man named Nathan Dunlap started working at the Aurora store as part of the kitchen crew. He was fired following a disagreement about scheduled hours with one of the managers in July 1993. Dunlap frequently visited the store following his dismissal but according to his acquaintances and former coworkers, he grew angry and plotted to return to the restaurant and rob the place. On December 14, 1993, Dunlap came to the store around 9:00 PM, ordered a ham and cheese sandwich, and played an arcade game. Around 9:50, he went to the restroom and hid there until closing to "amp himself up" for what he was about to do. 5 minutes after closing at 10:05 PM, he exited the bathroom, pulled out a small caliber handgun, and shot everyone he saw. There were no customers in the restaurant at the time but there were five employees. His first victim, 20-year-old Sylvia Crowell, was shot in the right ear and mortally wounded while cleaning up the salad bar. Next, he turned and shot 17-year-old Ben Grant, who was vacuuming the floor near his left eye, also mortally wounding him. 17-year-old Colleen O'Connor sank to her knees and pleaded for her life, but Dunlap shot her in the forehead. The second-to-last victim was 20-year-old Bobby Stephens, the only survivor of the shooting, who was shot in the jaw after coming back inside from a smoke break. He assumed the gunshot sounds were nearby children popping balloons. He was putting cooking utensils in the dishwasher when Dunlap came to the kitchen and shot him. After being shot, he played dead and Dunlap moved on. After shooting Stephens, Dunlap went to the back room to find the night manager and final victim 50-year-old Marge Kohlberg who was counting money. Nathan forced her to open the safe to which she complied leading to him shooting her in the ear and grabbing the cash out of the safe. After noticing she was still moving, he fatally shot her in her other ear. The manager who fired Dunlap was not in the restaurant that night.


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 <ref>https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-sentinel/141333739/</ref>.
Stephens, the lone survivor of the shooting, ran through the hallway of the restaurant to the exit after Dunlap left the kitchen and saw the bodies of his injured coworkers on the floor. He ran to a nearby apartment complex and told them that he and others were shot at the restaurant and to call 911. When the police and paramedics arrived, the show was still on and the bots were still performing. Since the shooting occurred only minutes after closing, no one had turned off the show yet. They couldn't figure out how to turn off the show but (obviously) they were more concerned with aiding the injured bodies. <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peUtkxvbJbY&t=4s</ref> Nathan's mother who was at the Chuck E. Cheese following the murders, was told to call her son and he was arrested the following day. Dunlap was charged with 4 counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, robbery, and burglary and sentenced to death in 1996. The death sentence was changed to life in prison without parole in 2020.


=== Closure ===
== 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.)
Showbiz expressed great sorrow for the senseless tragedy that occurred in December 1993 and offered assistance to the victim's families following the shooting. They also announced that the store would be closed indefinitely. <ref>https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19931216&id=aoVSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VgMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4974,4807279&hl=en</ref> The store permanently closed on April 20, 1994, likely out of respect for the victims' families and due to the horrible tragedy that happened months prior. The building was split into two different stores years later.


* Skee-Ball (Later Chuck E. Cheese Roll)
As of June 2023, Panera Bread occupies the space as well as an Affordable Dentures & Implants.
* 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==
<gallery>
File:Auora1981.png|Center Stage w/ beta cosmetics (1981)
File:Aurora1981.png|The stage w/ the newer cosmetics and beta props. (PC: The Denver Post)
File:AuroraCOIliffOutsideNightOfShooting.jpeg|The exterior after the shooting
File:Chuck-e-cheese.jpg|A close up look at the exterior after the shooting.
File:Aurora3Stage.jpg|An image showing part of Aurora's prize counter, gameroom, and showroom.
File:AuroraKitchen.png|The store's kitchen
File:AuroraSR.png|Guests posing in front of the 3-Stage (1990s)
File:AuroraEntrance.png|The front entrance of the store with a “Gone With The Wing” poster (1993)
File:Wideshot.png|View of the exterior from the parking lot (1990s)
</gallery>
== Animatronics ==
== Animatronics ==
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== References ==
== References ==
<references />

== Videos ==
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!Link
!Description
!'''Filming Date'''
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|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZFCgxqwkSo&ab_channel=VideoDotti Link]
|Showcase of the gameroom, and the dining room.
|July 30, 1990
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Latest revision as of 22:37, 17 April 2024


The exterior before closure.



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)

    Center Stage w/ beta cosmetics (1981)

  • The stage w/ the newer cosmetics and beta props. (PC: The Denver Post)

    The stage w/ the newer cosmetics and beta props. (PC: The Denver Post)

  • The exterior after the shooting

    The exterior after the shooting

  • A close up look at 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.

    An image showing part of Aurora's prize counter, gameroom, and showroom.

  • The store's kitchen

    The store's kitchen

  • Guests posing in front of the 3-Stage (1990s)

    Guests posing in front of the 3-Stage (1990s)

  • The front entrance of the store with a “Gone With The Wing” poster (1993)

    The front entrance of the store with a “Gone With The Wing” poster (1993)

  • View of the exterior from the parking lot (1990s)

    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

  1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Aurora,_Colorado_shooting
  2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZFCgxqwkSo&t=181s
  3. ↑ https://yt3.ggpht.com/vfruVvhLwwNHX5re6biPbOgcvqiJQ1MixIC7kgbwjK7K8u1761ICPwzO2D1_i9lDetL_pO1bOc3wDv0=s800-rw-nd-v1
  4. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-observer-aurora-cec-dec-93/141331280/
  5. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-sentinel/141331868/
  6. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram/141331751/
  7. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-sentinel/141331868/
  8. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-sentinel/141331549/
  9. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-sentinel/141333739/

Videos

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