JOPLIN, Mo. — It was the end of an era for one Joplin elementary school today.

The district hosted a final open house at Columbia Elementary on 7th Street.

Neighbors, families, alumni, and community partners were invited to take one last walk through the halls of the building and walk the grounds.

Students from Columbia and West Central all moved to the new Dover Hill Elementary School back in January.

Today’s final journey through the old building brought back a lot of memories.

“It’s a connection, I think, to our heritage. Plus, everybody’s childhood days of school have a lot of good memories and of friends that you may not currently have but you had at the time. It’s just a great opportunity to honor that and to remember that you are part of the history of this school as well as this school is a history of yourself as well,” said Dave Pettit, Director of Facilities Joplin Schools.

Columbia Elementary was constructed in 1927 and was built to replace Columbian Elementary — which was built in 1892 on the same spot.

The structure is set to be demolished later this summer.