Pioneer Hall Closed

Pioneer Hall officially closed tonight at 8 p.m. At 7:50 the last of my forty-six residents checked out of the building. I was standing at the front desk finishing paperwork as Anthony, our dear Hall Director, got on the intercom system for the building.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Pioneer Hall is now closed,” Anthony said, his voice echoing from the speakers in the hall, bouncing off the walls of the barren hallways.

What beautiful words, I thought. It’s officially over.

The anxious energy broke among the staff and, wearily but gladly, we headed to Anthony’s apartment for some post-checkout feasting. We curled into Anthony’s living room, sprawled on couches and the floor, eating homemade, delicious lasagna, a fresh caesar salad, and garlic bread. I looked around at the twelve faces and thought, “This is the last time we’ll be gathered just like this.” Laughter, music, funny staff “Most Likely To…” awards, and plenty of hugs finished off the end-of-the-year party.

After spending most of the day checking out resident after resident and sitting in my room cleaning up for my own move-out and copying hundreds of songs (literally) onto my laptop, it was the perfect way to finish the day.