Discover the mystique and beauty of the Sunken Garden
Keith Laird sat on the top floor of Rochester’s Sunken Garden, picking weeds with his neighbor’s goldendoodle, Lilly. He said he liked having her company as he worked. “It’s quiet, and all you hear are the birds and the chipmunks,” Laird said. It’s just peaceful.”
Laird, a Highland Park Conservancy volunteer since March, said he’s found a sense of peace working among the quietness and beauty of the Sunken Garden. His favorite spot is a wooden bench overlooking the lush greenery. The stone walls surrounding the garden evoke the feeling of living in a castle as a royal, offering an escape from the city’s bustling traffic and concrete.
In addition to its beauty, the garden holds an air of mystery. Laird has come across what he calls “urban myths.” Is it haunted? He isn’t sure, but according to lore, witches gather in the garden’s center under the full moon. Though he’s never witnessed them, Laird has cleaned trails of candle wax, remnants of the supposed full-moon rituals.
Despite its mysterious aura, Warner Castle’s Sunken Garden has become popular for prom, graduation and wedding photoshoots.
According to the Highland Park Conservancy, the Warner Castle Estate and Gardens were under private ownership until the city of Rochester purchased the property in 1951. In the 1920s, Alling DeForest, known for his landscaping work on the George Eastman House, was hired to refurbish the castle grounds, and the Sunken Garden was added in 1930.
Horatio Gates Warner, a prominent Rochester attorney, businessman, newspaper publisher and editor, reportedly established the castle and surrounding property in 1854. The Highland Park Conservancy states that he designed the castle to resemble that of the Clan Douglas, which inspired him during a trip to Scotland.
The castle had several owners after the Warner family, but The Landmark Society of Western New York now owns it.
The Sunken Garden is open to the public and can be reserved for photoshoots. Ceremonies or receptions are not allowed.
The Sunken Garden was created by Alling DeForest in 1930 and is behind the Warner Castle and surrounded by Highland Park.
SHAWN DOWD PHOTOS/ ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE