Situated on a coral ridge of oolitic limestone overlooking Biscayne Bay, this is one of the oldest houses in Miami, and a rare example of a pioneer dwelling that survives with its landscape setting largely intact. Influenced by traditional Caribbean construction methods and materials, Commodore Ralph Munroe built the house as a private residence in 1891.The house, partially constructed from timber salvaged from shipwrecks, which is set on stilts to maximize natural circulation and to avoid flooding, has survived numerous hurricanes and tropical storms. Munroe’s original boathouse, built in 1887 to house his extensive collection of maritime designs, was destroyed by a hurricane in 1926. Undaunted, Munroe built another moored by cables to protect it from storm surges.
In 1973, the Florida Park Service acquired the nine-acre property. With wide views of the bay across an expanse of lawn, much of the cultural landscape's naturalistic features remain intact. The park preserves a seagrass bed, tidal swamps, and one of the last and best preserved examples of the once-expansive Miami hardwood hammock. The hammock serves as a vegetative buffer protecting the Barnacle from contemporary visual encroachments. Paths through lush tropical vegetation physically connect the house to the bay. The Barnacle was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
