Sweet tribute to Art Deco heritage
Iconic building reproduced in gingerbread
Using more than 4kg of flour, 2.5kg of icing, and 35 hours of precision building, one of Napier’s most iconic Art Deco buildings has been re-imagined into one of the most unique gingerbread houses the region has ever seen.
Art Deco Trust staff member Maggie has been building gingerbread houses for more than 25 years, however the National Tobacco Company replica was the largest and most difficult she has ever attempted.
Maggie said, “Working at the Art Deco Trust and learning about the history of Napier after the 1931 earthquake inspired me to see if one of our iconic Art Deco buildings could be made in gingerbread for the Christmas season.”
There were many steps that went into baking, building and icing the gingerbread building. Maggie said the building was difficult to make because of its size and the fear that it would collapse if not constructed properly.
The gingerbread had to be measured precisely and scaled to the correct size so all the pieces could fit neatly, but the baking process changed all that with some of the pieces warping out of shape in the oven so all the edges had to be planed back to size with a kitchen micrograter.
While the easiest part was gluing all the house pieces together and watching the building come to life, the hardest part of the build for Maggie was making the front of the National Tobacco Building out of fondant with all the little details like the arch, the brickwork and roses.
“It was very fiddly to do, at that stage it was very fragile,” she said.
When the fondant had dried, Maggie lifted it onto the front of the house and stuck it in place with royal icing.
After all the hard work and time poured into the iconic Art Deco gingerbread building Maggie’s favourite piece of the whole building is the pink arch and burgundy roses.
Other highlights of the build is the 2kg of wrapped sweets and Xmas lights hidden inside the building, which can be seen when looking through the windows which are made of gelatin sheets.
Maggie said, “I hope I have captured the beauty of the building, it’s my absolute favourite Art Deco building.”
Originally made to kick off the Christmas season in the Art Deco Trust shop, and to bring a bit of fun and whimsy after a tough year for the region recovering from Cyclone Gabrielle, Maggie has donated her gingerbread masterpiece for a silent auction, with all proceeds benefiting the Robert McGregor Heritage Fund.
She added, “If looking at a gingerbread house can bring a smile and a bit of Christmas cheer to people’s faces then I am happy for it to go to a new home.”
Launched in November 2017, the fund offers financial assistance to heritage building owners in the Napier Art Deco quarter. Since its inception, the Robert McGregor Heritage Fund has disbursed more than $160,000 to support vital restoration work.
An Art Deco Trust spokesman said the origins of gingerbread houses, like Christmas trees and tinsel, can be traced back to the yuletide customs of Germany and says the trust believes one of Napier’s most famous Germans would give a nod of approval to seeing his architectural masterpiece, the National Tobacco Company building, reincarnated in gingerbread form.
Born in Germany, Gerhard Husheer made Napier his home, where he established the National Tobacco Company at Ahuriri.
Today, the National Distillery Company occupies the National Tobacco Company building. The distillery team have seen the gingerbread building and said, “A feat in engineering and architectural style, and we bet it tastes good.”
To enter to win the Gingerbread National Tobacco Company Building, email your tender to membership@artdeconapier.com before Wednesday, December 20, or pop into the Art Deco Centre, 7 Tennyson St, Napier, and place your bid while admiring this work of edible art.