City Landmark #78 Traditional Cache
Krypton: As there's been no cache to find for months, I'm archiving it to keep it from continually showing up in search lists, and to prevent it from blocking other cache placements. If you wish to repair/replace the cache sometime in the future, just contact us (by email), and assuming it meets the guidelines, we'll be happy to unarchive it.
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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This is San Francisco's "Other Conservatory." It was built around 1901, and has survived six owners, two major earthquakes, vandalism, and demolition crews, but it still stands.
It was constructed at the cost of $7,000, by a balloon aircraft inventor who was killed by a locomotive. Then, his second wife "Temperance Laura," named the conservatory "Sunnyside Laboratories" and planned to turn it into a sanitarium. In the 1920's it was owned by an entrepreneur who marketed bottled water fortified with mineral supplements.
After being given all the "protection" of being made registered City Landmark #78 in 1975, a third of the building was destroyed three years later when a demolition permit was mistakenly issued by the City.
In 1980 it was purchased by the SF Recreation and Park Department. During the last 25 years, volunteers from the neighborhood have done most of the restoration and grounds care. There are many interesting plants there, including a rare Chilean Wine Palm, tropical plants, ferns, and a butterfly garden.
Initial contents are: Log book and pen, airline wings, 1980 Honduras coin, SFPD patch, 5 mounted police stickers, plastic horse, plastic dinosaur, and globe.
I just increased the difficulty rating to a 2.5, because the trees and building make it difficult to get a good GPS signal.
05/15/08: A new micro geocache has replaced the original small container. It is just large enough for coins or very small items. The location was moved to an area of the park that is not being cleaned by neighborhood volunteers.
02/03/2009 The Conservatory is being restored and it will be closed until the work is completed in September. This cache will be enabled again at that time.
Congratulations to CrazyOn2Wheels for being FTF!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Pnzbrq pbagnvare vf va cynva fvtug. Arne ener gerr.