April Fools’ Day was one of the most anticipated days of the year at my boarding school. Tradition dictated that every year the senior class would prank faculty members on April Fools.

Now what, on earth, do pranks have to do with a door and lock blog, you ask?

I’m so glad you asked; a door mullion and door swing would have saved my physics professor and our dean from a rather eventful (and likely quite annoying) morning.

The Pranks

Imagine waking up to find your punch buggy (ok fine, your vintage VW Beetle, to be exact) in the middle of the hallway. Yes, you read that right. A bunch of guys in my senior class somehow managed to physically lift our physics professor’s car and carry it through a large set of double wooden doors. The professor lived in the dormitory just above this entryway, so he walked downstairs to quite a surprise.

The year before, girls from the senior class climbed through the window of one of our dean’s offices and proceeded to line the floor with Dixie cups half-full of water. Now, this would be incredibly frustrating to walk into; however, his door was in-swinging, so he wasn’t even able to open his door. I don’t recall how that mess got cleaned up, but I imagine his morning plans went entirely out the window.

The Fix: A Door Mullion and an Out-Swinging Door

Both pranks were made possible due to the construction of the doors. The double doors through which the car was carried were very large (and ornately beautiful) wood double doors.

Some double doors secure to a door mullion, which is a vertical beam between the two doors that divides the opening; however, lucky for my senior class, there was no door mullion on these beauties. As such, the opening was wide enough for the tiny car.

Some mullions are removable. I bet you money that if faced with the obstacle of a removable door mullion, the guys would have found a way to take it out, bring the car inside, and re-install it.

Now when it comes to our dean, his only saving grace would have been an out-swinging door, meaning one that opened into the hallway rather than into his office. However, if every office door swung into the hallway you’d have quite the obstacle course on your hands dodging doors. I imagine he invested in some better window locks (or at least a window alarm) after that lovely incident.

Have you ever been pranked or participated in a prank that involved doors or locks?  We’d love to hear about it! Tell us about it in the comments.

Photo Credit: Elliot Brown