48 Jerome Ave was a
Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre that opened in August 1983 and closed in August 1984 with a Balcony Stage.
This location is known for becoming
Banjoe's Family Pizza Playhouse, which operated 1984/1985 until July 1987.
Stages
Bloomfield opened with a Balcony Stage, which the store would have until its 1984 closure. When the store rebranded into Banjoe's they would keep the Balcony Stage setup, retrofitting the show to have original characters and backdrops.
| Stage |
Installed |
Removed |
Notes |
| Balcony Stage |
August 1983 |
August 1984 |
5th Chuck E. Cheese's location in Connecticut. |
| Retrofitted Balcony |
1984/1985 |
July 1987 |
Retrofitted during it's time as Banjoe's Family Pizza Playhouse. |
History
Pre-CEC
Before its time as a Pizza Time Theatre, there was a 2-screen movie theatre in its space, which opened in the 1970s and closed in 1982/83 Shortly after closure, the conversion to PTT began, and eventually opened in August 1983.
Pizza Time Theatre (1983-84)
The Pizza Time Theatre in Bloomfield opened in August 1983 as the fifth location in Connecticut. Little is known about this store, as no photos or videos have been found of it during its time as a PTT. The store would permanently close in August 1984 after only one year in operation, due to the company's bankruptcy of the same year. This was the only 2 store's in the state to be at auction along with
Waterbury, CT (983 Wolcott St).
Banjoe's Family Pizza Playhouse (1984-87)
While most references to Chuck E. Cheese and Pizza Time Theatre were removed, as seen in footage, a few direct references remained, such as the merry-go-round still retaining PTT branding and Chuck E. Cheese art. In addition, the animatronic retrofitted stage would play Pizza Time Theatre showtapes instead of using original shows. Chuck and Jasper's animatronics would swap positions, as well as character cables/signals during the retrofit.
Banjoe's would close in July 1987 for unknown reasons, and it is unknown what happened to the animatronics or games after closure.
Post Banjoe's
The building would remain vacant again for a few years until it became a bank. The bank stayed in operation until it would close in 2018/19. As of April 2024, the building is vacant once again. It is unknown what will happen to the empty building.
Animatronics
Videos
| Link |
Description |
Filming Date |
| Link |
The only known footage of this store. Shows the game room, and the animatronics a few months before closure. |
March 1987 |
