The Barnacle

Special Presentation : Episode HMI-S -- More Projects »

Munroe situated the post-and-beam house on an 18-foot rise, keeping it safe from floods and well positioned to catch the prevailing breezes.

Made to look like a boat, Munroe's salvaged wood gives the house interior a nautical feel.

In the 1880s, Ralph Munroe, an adventurous shipbuilder from New York City, journeyed to the "undiscovered wilderness" of Florida in the 1880s and made it his home. Munroe built a home next to the sea out of wood from shipwrecks and stucco made with pecan shells and seashells. The nautical design of the house reflects Monroe's shipbuilding savvy, with salvaged wood built-in cabinets, beams and railings, and a yacht-styled halyard rig to open a roof window. The design of this sea-worthy house survived the 1926 hurricane and stands today as a reminder of Miami's earliest days.

Using support beams, Munroe raised the original structure and built another floor underneath. Guests were entertained in the newly constructed downstairs.

The barnacle-shaped roof helped the home resist a hurricane in 1926, with the winds actually pushing the structure tighter into the land.

Resources
The Barnacle State Historic Park
3485 Main Highway
Coconut Grove, FL 33133
Phone: 305-448-9445
Also in this Episode

Special Presentation : Episode HMI-S
•	The Barnacle
•	Vizcaya
•	Coral Gables / Merrick House
•	Mediterranean Revival
•	Java Head
•	Miami Modern
•	The Pink House

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