This is a fairly simple field puzzle with just a short hike to the final as I'm not looking to draw your attention away from this little gem of a spot, only to minimize the risk of the cache being muggled due to the high traffic area.
The History of the Warner Castle Sunken Garden
The Sunken Garden on the grounds of historic Warner Castle in Highland Park is one of Rochester’s landscape architectural treasures. The garden was designed by noted Landscape Architect Alling Stephen DeForest, 1875-1957.
Warner Castle was designed by Horatio Gates Warner and built as his private residence in 1854. In 1912, Frank and Merry Ackerman Dennis, owners of the Dennis Candy Factory and candy stores purchased it. They commissioned DeForest to design gardens for the site beginning around 1920. His plan for the grounds included the Sunken Garden completed in 1930, a courtyard, rose and woodland gardens.
Alling Stephen DeForest, a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, contributed to a wide variety of landscape designs, both public and private, during the early 20th Century. He received most of his early training at the prestigious Olmsted Brothers firm in Brookline, Massachusetts. Frederick Law Olmsted, considered the father of landscape architecture in America, was the founder of the firm. DeForest’s most notable projects were the original landscape of the George Eastman House on East Avenue in Rochester and the gardens of the Harbel Manor, the Akron, Ohio home of Harvey Firestone. Although the majority of his designs were the landscapes of private estates, he also designed campuses, housing developments, cemeteries and parks.
Frank Dennis died in 1927 and Merry Dennis continued to live in the castle until her death in 1936. Dennis’ relatives contested her will and the estate was not settled until eight years after her death. The castle became a sanitarium in 1944 when it was purchased from the estate by Christopher Gainers a self-styled naturopath.
The City of Rochester bought the property in 1951 and the castle and grounds became part of Highland Park, an internationally known arboretum. The City’s Parks Department’s offices and herbarium were located in the castle. The Rochester Civic Garden Center’s headquarters now occupy the building. The Warner Castle Sunken Garden, a significant part of the landscape heritage of Rochester, New York, provides residents and visitors alike with the opportunity to view a planned landscape designed by a noted landscape architect.
***FIELD PUZZLE:***
To obtain coordinates to the final cache location you will need to do a little observing, counting and basic math.
A = number of pavers surrounding (touching) circle in middle of lower courtyard = ____
B = total number of metal railing sections, between breaks of stone (or air) = ____
C = from bottom of courtyard, number of steps up to, and including, the first landing (either set is fine, but not both) = ____
D = total number of design thingys on the metal railings (see pic if unsure of what these are) = ____ MINUS 1
E = total number of gated stone archways (INside courtyard only) = ____
F = the number found on the metal pole in the NW quadrant on middle landing, by big tree = ____
You are looking for N43° 07.YYY W077° 36.ZZZ
YYY = (A × B × D) - (E × F)
ZZZ = (A × C × D) - (E + F)
The Sunken Garden is a very popular location for wedding and prom photos (we did my daughter's senior portraits here, in fact) so just be aware of the potential for inadvertently photo bombing others' life long treasures. I have tried making it so you can obtain the needed info from various points of view.
If you see him, say hi to Dudley the very friendly cat who roams free here a lot of the time!
Included in this cache is a special handmade gift I made just for the First To Find. I pleeease ask that if you've already been FTF on one on my other caches and have already received one I respectfully ask that you please let someone else find this one first as there will only be a limited number created. Thank you!
Congrats to Team Daisydog on First to Find!!