As the holiday season approaches, West Virginia University alumni now have a second, seasonally appropriate, and edible place to call home on campus.

A 1:26 scale gingerbread Erickson Alumni Center was competed this week and is now on display in the building’s main lobby.

The “Erickson Gingerbread Alumni Center” was built to scale from the building’s original blueprints. Favorite features of the alumni center, from the fireplace at in Mountaineer Courtyard to the building’s iconic bell tower, are recreated with attention to the most minor details. Gumdrop eves on the roof, candy wafer roof tiles, and hand-piped icing brickwork add to the gingerbread alumni center’s authenticity. Careful viewers will be able to see a light-up icing Christmas tree on the building’s interior.

“It was great to see our team come together and tackle a project of this magnitude- they did an excellent job” said Scott Spiker, Executive Chef at the Erickson Alumni Center. WVU Dining oversaw the project’s construction, and estimates that nearly 300 work-hours went into the Gingerbread Alumni Center. Food Service Manager Aaron Jeffries and Food Service Worker Ruth Thomas provided the majority of that work. “We think it turned out beautiful” said Thomas. “We’re really proud of the effort that went into it and we’re proud to show it to the campus and to WVU Alumni.”

A few other facts show the impressive scale of the project:
WVU Dining staff started on this project in July of 2015, printing blueprints and baking gingerbread, anticipating the long hours it would take to finish the project.
• The Gingerbread Alumni Center and exterior grounds weigh nearly 200 lbs.
• A special 9ft x 5ft rolling table had to be created to hold and display the model.
• An estimated 20lbs of shredded coconut were used to create the snowy winter ground on the alumni center’s exterior
• Over 100 packs of candy wafers were used to replicate the roof shingles.

Guests are welcome to visit the Erickson Alumni Center this holiday season to view, photograph, but not taste, the building’s gingerbread replica. “As good as it looks, we need to make sure it is enjoyed throughout the whole of the holiday season. So no tasting please!” said Manager Jeffries.

-WVU-

tbj/11/20/15

CONTACT:
Scott Spiker, Executive Chef, Erickson Alumni Center
304.293.6131 Scott.Spiker@mail.wvu.edu

Bryan Jarrell, PR Manager, WVU Dining Services
304.293.0018 Bryan.Jarrell@mail.wvu.edu

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.