Great Preservation Holiday Bake-off
A gingerbread version of the Hilltop House and Studio, the historic mid-century home and studio of artist, educator, author, and preservationist Dorothy Riester at Stone Quarry Hill Art Park, seen on their Instagram feed. Please let this incredible baked recreation inspire your own architectural baking.
If you’re anything like us, you’ve also been keeping up with the new season of The Great British Baking Show on Netflix (or just Bake Off if you live in my house). This year, a few of our NYC Colleagues are hoping to encourage some Bake Off vibes in the form of architecturally-inspired creations. We thought it sounded like fun, so we’re joining in too. The holiday season is also the baking season. How about turning a few of your baked goods into New York landmarks? We’re teaming up with The New York Landmarks Conservancy, Village Preservation, The Municipal Art Society of New York, Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, LANDMARK WEST!, and Historic Districts Council to crown the best building baker.
Send us a picture of a homemade treat inspired by your favorite New York structure or building by Monday, December 7.
Whether you’re an architect, pastry chef, or an enthusiastic amateur baker, all are welcome — as long as you make it yourself. Snap a photo of your gingerbread brownstone, cupcake Guggenheim, or cookies frosted like the Brooklyn Bridge. League staff will choose a winner and share all the entries on December 11 on our social media, website, and via email.
Winners from the seven participating preservation groups will then go head-to-head to win the ultimate prize: bake-off bragging rights. A panel of architects and bakers will make the final decision and crown New York’s best building baker: baker Fany Gerson; Eric Haugen, chef at the Lambs Club; and architects Liz Diller and Pamela Jerome.
Your masterful creation will be sent out to all the groups’ members for them to admire and inspire them for next year.
This panel of experts will make the final decision
How to Enter
All entries must be submitted via email with the subject line “Great Preservation Bake-off.”
We also encourage you to share your creations on social media! Please tag us on Instagram @preservenys and use the hashtags #GreatPreservationBakeOff #PreservationBakes
All entries must be submitted and received by 5:00 p.m. EDT on December 7, 2020.
Your bake must represent a historic building in the state of New York.
All image files must be labeled and include your name, name of the building, and location (i.e. Jane Smith St. Patrick’s Cathedral Manhattan).
By submitting photos, participants certify that the baked item(s) pictured as well as image(s) provided are theirs, and grant the Preservation League and other participating organizations the right to use the photos for purposes of promoting the contest.
The League reserves the right to edit or omit submissions.
You may enter up to five photos in total. Multiple entries are allowed. Please send at least one that makes it clear you created the baked goods in question (process shot, you posing with your confections, etc.)
Photographs can be submitted in jpeg, gif, and/or png formats.
The Great Preservation Bake-off Photo Contest is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook or any other social media platform used throughout the contest.