Nathaniel D. Bennett's entry chose to depict Brighton's Oak Square neighborhood, including its Dunkin' Donuts outpost. Photo courtesy of the Boston Society for Architecture
From the North End to the Blue Hills, this year’s entrants into the Boston Society for Architecture’s gingerbread competition celebrated the things they love about the Boston area.
So it’s only natural that one featured a Dunkin’ Donuts storefront topped by a big, sprinkle-covered doughnut: Nathaniel D. Bennett (and family)’s homage to Brighton Square.
The public voted on the BSA’s six final entries in part with their wallets, with top honors going to the entry that raised the most money for the BSA Foundation (the “Golden Whisk” award), the entry that drew the most individual donors (the “Silver Spatula” award) and the entry that got the most engagement on the BSA’s Instagram account (the “People’s Choice” award).
The BSA Foundation’s programming focuses on design education for kids ages 5 to 18, finding innovative solutions to housing issues and support for communities trying to address complex challenges in their built environments.
Golden Whisk Winner: ‘A Corner of Boston’s Mall of America’
Leonardi Aray Architects created an homage to Boston’s Commonwealth Avenue Mall for their entry into the Boston Society for Architecture’s 13th annual gingerbread house competition. Photo courtesy of the Boston Society for Architecture
Creator: Leonardi Aray Architects
This gingerbread house’s creators paid homage to their stints at CBT Architects, when it was located at the Ames-Webster House at 306 Dartmouth St. in Boston’s Back Bay. The Victorian mansion-turned-offices (on the left of the photo) was made of multi-colored gingerbread and even had fondant renditions of the poinsettias successive building owners have traditionally displayed in the Commonwealth Avenue-facing conservatory windows.
Silver Spatula Winner: Boston in a Bite
Viviana Bonilla celebrated Boston’s Fenway Park, its Green Line subway trains and the view of the city from Brookline’s Larz Anderson Park all in one diorama. Photo courtesy of the Boston Society for Architecture
Creator: Viviana Bonilla
University of Massachusetts 2024 architecture graduate Viviana Bonilla found herself inspired by her childhood growing up in Boston’s suburbs, and what she termed the “universal Bostonian experience” of attending a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park via the MBTA’s Green Line subway. Each side of this gingerbread diorama marked a different aspect of the relationship between city and suburb, from a recreation of Fenway Park’s interior to trolleys, to Beacon Hill townhomes, to the “breathtaking” view of the city from the top of Brookline’s Larz Anderson Park.
Viviana Bonilla’s gingerbread house included a recreation of Fenway Park’s bleachers and infield. Photo courtesy of the Boston Society for Architecture
People’s Choice Winner: Cannoli Be One Winner
Thornton Tomasetti’s entry paid homage to Boston’s North End, with a gingerbread Paul Revere statue and a miniature Modern Pastry storefront. Photo courtesy of the Boston Society for Architecture
Creator: Thornton Tomasetti
Downtown Boston’s Thornton Tomasetti architecture firm contributed an homage to the city’s North End. The neighborhood’s icons all make appearances, from the statue of Paul Revere – tricorn hat included – to Modern Pastry’s iconic sign and an Italian flag.
Theater District Reverie
Fennick McCredie Architecture honored Boston’s Theater District by rendering a theater in cutaway form. Photo courtesy of the Boston Society for Architecture
Creator: Fennick McCredie Architecture
Fennick McCredie Architecture went so far in its celebration of Boston’s Theater District to craft a mural for the domed ceiling of their entry, echoing the Citizens Bank Opera House. Presented in cutaway, teddy grahams stand in for audience members and performers, with molding inside the theater and out rendered in icing and candy canes.
The Best (Albeit Forgotten) Neighborhood in Boston
Nathaniel Bennett and Family celebrated Brighton in their creation from its long stretch of parkland along the Charles River to its public library branch and Dunkin’ Donuts store. Photo courtesy of the Boston Society for Architecture
Creator: Nathaniel Bennett and Family
This entry’s creators touted Boston’s Brighton neighborhood in their creation. Their entry featured a curve of the Charles River – “for kayaking” – an elaborate chocolate tree to represent the Oak Square area’s foliage, a gingerbread rendition of the Boston Public Library’s Faneuil branch and, of course, its local Dunkin’ Donuts outpost, albeit in a slightly more fanciful form.
Live Work Play 02021
Sika Roofing’s entry was dominated by the Blue Hills towering over Canton’s Irish Cultural Center, one of the town’s four golf courses and Sika’s own, solar pannel-topped headquarters.
Photo courtesy of the Boston Society for Architecture
Creator: Sika Roofing
Sika Roofing brought in the other gingerbread entry that honored a Boston suburb, this time more directly. Theirs celebrated Canton, and all the activities and sights the town just south of Boston offers, including the Blue Hills.
