The Gingerbread House

The Gingerbread House, also known as the Asendorf House, is nearly 125 years old and yet still bears resemblance to the original architecture of the original three-story southern mansion, built in 1899. Cord Asendorf was married to Bernhardine Asendorf, and they had four children. He is buried in Savannah’s famous Bonaventure Cemetery. The features of The Gingerbread House are unmistakable and stand out as a fully designed home in the Gingerbread style, prevalent in the Black Forest region of Germany. It is framed by a 200 year old graceful oak tree at its entrance.

Today, The Gingerbread House welcomes guest visitors for numerous events. With Savannah being ranked 3rd among the most popular cities in the United States as a romantic location, weddings comprise a major portion of these events. The Gingerbread House is said to be the most photographed home in Savannah, a claim which is often supported by the number of photographers outside the home with assorted cameras and videotape paraphernalia. It has been featured in many films and publications as well as being visited by celebrities and US Presidents including Woodruff and Roosevelt. As an award winning historical landmark, Savannah’s Gingerbread House provides Victorian Southern hospitality for brides from all over the world.

The Cookbook Gallery

Illustrations by Mary Flanagan Bazemore

Famous Faces and The Gingerbread House

On several occasions, the Gingerbread House has had its own brush with fame and fortune. Three United States Presidents have been associated with the home. In 1933, Franklin Roosevelt and his mother were in a motorcade that passed the Gingerbread House. The Asendorfs had draped a huge American flag from the second floor balcony. The combination of the patriotic flag and fanciful gingerbread so captivated Roosevelt and his mother that they had the motorcade stopped so that they might have a closer look.

President Dwight Eisenhower, an avid golfer, used to come to coastal Georgia to play golf in the mild Southern climate. He often told friends that The Gingerbread House was his favorite Savannah home. Another President, Woodrow Wilson, married a native Savannahian who, admiring The Gingerbread House, once tried to buy the home from the Asendorf family.

The home has appeared in over 15 books as well as numerous national magazines including Parents, Ladies Home Journal, Victoria and many others. Magazines in Germany have also published photographs and stories about the home and the Asendorf family.

Lastly, the Gingerbread House has been used in two movies. A 1975 movie, “Bingo Long and the Traveling All Stars,” starred Sidney Poitier, Richard Pryor and Billy Dee Williams and featured the home as a boarding house. “Pals,” a 1988 movie starring George C. Scott and Don Ameche, also incorporated shots of the house.