Photograph as originally submitted to this page in the Historical Marker Database www.HMdb.org. Click on photo to resize in browser. Scroll down to see metadata.

Photographer: Marsha A. Matson
Taken: September 28, 2014
Caption: Barnacle Boathouse Marker - Hurricane Proof?
Additional Description: When Commodore Munroe moved here in 1887, the first structure he built was a boathouse on this spot. He lived upstairs while he built The Barnacle; his workshop was on the lower level. 1926 brought a devastating hurricane to Miami and the boathouse was destroyed. The Commodore examined how the forces of the storm had led to its collapse. When he rebuilt the structure in 1927 he incorporated what he learned into its design. The new boathouse had break-away walls front and rear. These would give way quickly, allowing the storm surge to flow through the building instead of battering it. The side walls were guyed with heavy cables to keep them upright. The Commodore died in 1933 never knowing if his design would work. It would be nearly 60 years, but in the early morning hours of August 24, 1992 the test finally came. Hurricane Andrew made landfall very near here. One of the worse storms ever to hit the US and stronger than the 1926 hurricane, Andrew would judge the Commodore's design. It worked exactly as he planned, as this photo shows. The front and rear walls were mostly gone but the upstairs and structure of the building were virtually untouched. Today break-away walls are often required for structures in areas prone to storm surge.
Submitted: September 28, 2014, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida.
Database Locator Identification Number: p287291
File Size: 1.316 Megabytes

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