Former students of Gompers and Hufford junior high schools in Joliet walked the hallways and saw their old classrooms one last time before the buildings are closed for good to make way for new schools.

Stephen Zaborski was one of many Gompers alumni who toured the school on Saturday. Zaborski said he attended the school in the mid-1960s and remembers building a desk and soldering wire in shop class.

“Of course, a lot of things have changed but the basic structure hasn’t,” Zaborksi said.

Gompers, along with Hufford, will close in June to prepare for the opening of entirely new structures for the 2026-27 school year.

The new Gompers building will be about the same size as the current building, and the new Hufford will be about 33% larger than its predecessor.

Gompers was built in 1958 and Hufford was built in 1956, according to Joliet Public Schools District 86.

The new Gompers and Hufford buildings are funded by a $99.5 million bond approved in a voter referendum, district officials said. The schools will have larger classrooms and hallways, as well as upgraded technology and improved access for people with disabilities.

The new buildings will have better safety, security and enhanced energy efficiency, district officials said. Together, the new Gompers and Hufford will serve about 1,800 students.

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies are set for Aug. 11 at Gompers and Aug. 13 at Hufford.

The open houses Saturday at Gompers and Hufford proved popular. School T-shirts quickly sold out and Theresa Rouse, district 86 superintendent, said people waited about 15 minutes at Hufford before the open house began.

Rouse said she was “thrilled with the turnout.”

“It’s been amazing to hear the stories from people who went to Hufford.”

The district expects to sell more school shirts at the district office in a couple of weeks. Some attendees at Gompers posed for photos with their shirts in front the building.

People who attended the open house were given guided tours of the buildings and were given the opportunity to leaf through old yearbooks.

Among the Hufford alumni who were looking through yearbooks on Saturday were Larry Sayles, Marry Ann Sayles, Jerry Papesh and Martha Savich Harms. They attended the school in the early 1960s.

“I think we’re thankful they gave us the opportunity to come back,” Mary Ann Sayles said.

Papesh said he remembers a classroom activity that involved turning bowling pins into lamps. He questioned whether the old Hufford building should close.

“Why don’t you just keep this?” Papesh said.

Larry Sayles said most of Hufford still looks the same.

“A lot of good times,” he said.