Louisville, KY (5743 Preston Hwy)

Preston's exterior in the mid-late 1990s. (PC: showbizpizza.com)

5743 Preston Hwy was a Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre/Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza that opened on July 31, 1982 with a Cyberamics Balcony Stage and closed on November 8th, 1997 with a Chuck E.'s House Facade stage. It was located in/across from an unnamed shopping center. This was the first location in Louisville, and the second in Kentucky overall.

Stages

When this store opened, they would have a Balcony Stage, which would in turn be replaced with Chuck E.'s House Facade. It was removed when they closed in November 1997.

History

The building Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre was housed in opened as an Alpha 2 Cinema on October 6th, 1971. When this cinema closed on March 25th, 1982, work on the conversion from a cinema to Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre would begin in the coming months.

On July 31, 1982, a new Chuck E. Cheese opened in Louisville with a Cyberamics Balcony Stage and many features. This store was notably very small, with not much space. Regardless of this, the store would outlast the 1984 bankruptcy and would continue to get customers.

When Louisville, KY (5000 Shelbyville Rd) opened in 1984, this store lost many customers, as the newer store was more popular with families, as opposed to the older store. This store was also one of the few to survive the 1984 bankruptcy closures. They would keep the same features until the 1989/1990, when they would remodel for the first and final time.

In 1989/1990, this store would remodel to the 1986 SPT Remodel Program. This would change many old features, such as signage, exterior, and carpeting/decor. The biggest changes would be the addition of new posters and signage inside and outside, the addition of wood paneling, and the biggest change, the removal of the Cyberamics Balcony Stage for the Chuck E.'s House Facade stage, which would change many features of the showroom. The store would keep this remodel until they closed. They would also keep The King, which they would eventually remove at an unknown date. This store would uniquely also never install blue and white awnings above the counters.

In the mid-late 1990s, the store would go through some extra minor changes, such as Helen's cosmetics being updated, and The King's supposed removal. These were the final changes to the store ever done, as they would close later on.

In November 1997, this store closed permanently. It is unknown why exactly the store closed, but guesses include lease, lack of customers or money, or more. The store would be vacated shortly after, with pieces being dismantled and sent to other stores. After the store closed, Hollywood Video and Verizon Wireless would take over the space. When Hollywood Video went defunct in 2010, it would become a Hibbett Sports. The Verizon Wireless also closed and was replaced by MetroPCS/Metro by T-Mobile. The building is still intact to this day, although the facade is redone.

Animatronics

Animatronic	Whereabouts	Notes
Chuck E. Cheese (Cyberamic)	Owned by Private Collector
Guest Star/Helen Henny (Cyberamic)	Owned by Private Collector	Only character to update cosmetics.
Mr. Munch (Cyberamic)	Owned by Private Collector
Jasper T. Jowls (Cyberamic)	Owned by Private Collector
Pasqually (Cyberamic)	Owned by Private Collector
Warblettes (Cyberamic)	Unknown/Destroyed
Waving Flags (Cyberamic)	Unknown/Destroyed
Applause Board (Cyberamic)	Unknown/Destroyed
Drum Board (Cyberamic)	Unknown/Destroyed
The King (Lounge)	Unknown/Destroyed	Had unique curtains on stage.

Gallery

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  Balcony Stage (1980s)

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  The King (1980s)

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  C-Stage (1990s)

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  C-Stage (1990s)

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  C-Stage (1990s)

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  C-Stage (1990s)

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  Arcade (1990s)

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  Drinks & Salad Bar (1990s)

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  Arcade (1990s)

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  Prize Counter (1990s)

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  Prize Counter (1990s)

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  The King (1990s)

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  Animatronics (January 13, 2024)

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  Animatronics (January 13, 2024)

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  Switch Box (January 13, 2024)

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  Switch Box (January 13, 2024)

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  Exterior in 1993 (Pic: The CEC Gal)

Videos

Link	Description	Filming Date	Published Date
Link	A video showcasing the store, games & Chuck E.'s House Facade in December 1994.	December 31, 1994	August 1, 2020
Link	Another video showcasing the store, games & Chuck E.'s House Facade in December 1994.	December 31, 1994	August 1, 2020
Link	A video showcasing the exterior and Chuck E.’s House Facade in 1993.	1993	March 12, 2024