Appetizing architecture: Winnipeg family remakes old city hall out of gingerbread

It's a challenge really only an architect and his family could tackle — a gingerbread remake of Winnipeg's old city hall.

Ken MacKinnon, along with his daughters Tasha, 13, and Leah, 10, have spent the last week meticulously designing, baking and shaping the scrumptious structure.

"It's learning as you go and MacGyver solutions along the way," MacKinnon said with a laugh.

The family started the appetizing architecture holiday project a few years back. They didn't want to just do a gingerbread house; instead they went with a gothic cathedral with flying buttresses.

When it came to city hall, MacKinnon said one of his daughters spotted a photo of the iconic building in a local restaurant and suggested they tackle it for their latest challenge.

"Then I drew it up and printed it out and then we just kind of used that as a tracing guide for cardboard and then baked the piece," MacKinnon said.

The old city hall building was built in 1886 and demolished in 1962. The building was called a Victorian "gingerbread" structure, according to the Manitoba Historical society.

The cookie construction wasn't without its issues. MacKinnon said they had to find a way to bake the pieces correctly, even though they rise in the oven. They also had to find the right consistency for the glue icing and the decorative icing.

The MacKinnon family avoided structural gingerbread because, in the end, they still want to eat the building.

"Part of the fun is eating it and destroying it. Much like the old city hall, we will take the wrecking ball to it and take it from there," MacKinnon said.

It will be a lot of gingerbread to eat, MacKinnon said he expects it to stand about two feet tall (61 centimetres).