I Love Chicago! - Garfield Park Conservatory Mystery Cache
I Love Chicago! - Garfield Park Conservatory
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
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UPDATE: New and probably more secure final hide. Hint and formula have changed.
The Garfield Park Conservatory is one of the largest and most impressive conservatories in the United States. Often referred to as "landscape art under glass," it occupies approximately 4.5 acres (18,000 m²) inside and out and contains a number of permanent plant exhibits incorporating specimens from around the world (including some ferns that are over 300 years old). Additionally, thousands of plants are grown there each year for displays in Chicago parks and public spaces.
History:
In the late 19th century, each of the three large Westside parks (Garfield, Humbold, Douglas) had its own small conservatory and propagation greenhouses. After 20 years of use, these conservatories fell into a state of disrepair and became obsolete.
In 1905, Chicago's West Park Commission's general superintendent and chief landscape architect, Jens Jensen, demolished the three smaller greenhouses to create what was intended as "the largest publicly owned conservatory under one roof in the world" in Garfield Park. Many of the original plantings came from the three smaller Westside conservatories.
Constructed between 1906 and 1907, the Garfield Park Conservatory was designed by Jensen in collaboration with Prairie School architects Schmidt, Garden and Martin and the New York engineering firm of Hitchings and Company. It represents a unique collaboration of architects, engineers, landscape architects, sculptors and artisans.
Jensen conceived the Conservatory as a series of naturalistic landscapes under glass, a revolutionary idea at the time. The simple yet strong shape of the structure, which is meant to emulate the haystacks of the Midwest, complements the collection of plants and foliage that it houses.
(source: Wikipedia)
The conservatory is open to the public 9 am - 5 pm daily, 9 am - 8 pm on Thursday. Entry is free. The El Green Line Conservatory stop is only steps away. Free parking available just south of the main entrance.
The above coordinates point right into the center of the greenhouses. To get the coordinates for the final cache, just enjoy the conservatory and answer the questions in each part of the collection. You don’t have to follow a certain route. I have listed the collections alphabetically – finding out where you are is part of the challenge. No calculator required.
The NEW final coordinates are
N 41° 5 [U - P1] . [SH1 - A1] [H - F1 - 1] [D2 - C + 4]
W 87° 4 [SU2 - SH2] . [J - D1] [F2 - P2 + 5] [SU1 + A2]
A) The Aroid House
• This part of the conservatory originally contained a Conifer exhibition. A1 is the 2-digit cross sum of the year when it was converted to an aroid house.
• Can you find out of which material the beautiful yellow water lilies in the pond are made of? A2 is the number of letters of the material.
C) Children’s Garden
• Count the windows of the giant seed (including windows which need some repair): C
D) The Desert House
• How do scientists call it when unrelated plants from different areas of the world start to look alike? Count the number of letters of the term (2 words): D1
• Everybody knows the desert is a dry place. But did you really know that less than D2 inches of rain can be expected in a year?
F) The Fern Room
• How many people and animals (=F1) welcome you at the entrance? Look left and right.
• Make a loop through the impressive room. You have to cross 2 “creeks”, but some big stones help your feet to stay dry. How many stones in total (both creeks)? : F2
H) The Horticulture Hall
• The beautiful fountain in the center of the hall is a real eye catcher. It was a gift from one of Chicago’s sister cities. How many letters (=H) are in the name of this city?
J) The Jensen Room
• Even a group of stewardesses visited the conservatory in 1959. But how many women (=J) did join the group?
P) The Palm House
• Did you know that rainforests only cover P1 % of the earth surface?
• Man, I guess every barber loves this tree! But where does it come from? P2 is the number of letters of the country.
SH) The Show House
• Find the quote from the Catalogue Guide to Garfield Park Conservatory. Which year was it published? The 2-digit cross sum of the year is SH1
• How many ponds can you spot in the room (=SH2)? Count “double-ponds” as two each.
SU) Sugar from the Sun
• Several circular platforms are guarded by vertical and horizontal bars. How many vertical bars do you count at a single platform? : SU1
• Look at the brass plague next to the waterfall. How many leaves do you see? : SU2
U) Urban Demonstration Garden
• “Cs” and “Ss” are perfect for sunny, harsh settings. Both have the same number of letters in its name, which is U
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Vs lbh pna’g svaq gur Heona Qrzbafgengvba Tneqra, fgneg lbhe frnepu sebz gur Qrfreg Ubhfr.
Svany: zntargvp, FR, Ubj ybj pna lbh tb.
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
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