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Where are Pittsburgh’s gingerbread houses?

This year celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Pittsburgh gingerbread competition.

The large displays of gingerbread and the Santas of the world no longer exist inside PPG Place’s Wintergarden. They were gentrified in 2019 after about 16 years.

The city of Pittsburgh stepped in and saved the gingerbread!

And the 20th edition of the Pittsburgh gingerbread competition will be unveiled during the City-County Building tree lighting at 5 p.m. Nov. 19.

The gingerbread will be on display in display windows through early January. Gingerbread displays will also be inside the City-County Building’s lobby.

What happened to the gingerbread at PPG Place?

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In short: The gingerbread houses at PPG Place’s Winter Garden were gentrified.

After more than 15 years of calling PPG Place home, the gingerbread displays were ousted to allow for Highwood Properties (owners of PPG Place) to use the Winter Garden space for private functions such as weddings and corporate holiday functions.

So, the 2018 holiday season was the final year for the gingerbread displays at Winter Garden.

But, never fear, the city government stepped in and rescued the gingerbread displays. (Some of the ingredients of a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie plot are here.)

In 2019, the competition and display moved to the City-County Building, where it was right-sized for the space in the lobby. In 2020, the competition was virtual.

For 2021, winning gingerbread houses will be displayed behind glass and viewable from the City-County Building portico on Grant Street, according to the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.

Find more information about the display here.