Simpson Park, officially Simpson Park Hammock, is a 7.8-acre (3.2 ha) urban park and nature preserve located between Brickell and The Roads neighborhoods of Miami, Florida. The park was originally known as Jungle Park, as 5.5 acres (2.2 ha) were set aside in 1913 by a group of individuals to preserve what is now one of the last remaining tracts (along with Alice Wainwright Park and a spot on Virginia Key) of Brickell Hammock, a tropical hardwood hammock which once ran from the Miami River to Coconut Grove.
The park lies on the Miami Rock Ridge at an elevation over 15 feet (4.6 m) above sea level, relatively high for the Miami area. The soils are mostly shallow muck (Matecumbe Series) over limestone.[1] In 1927 the park's name was changed in honor of Miami botanist and conservationistCharles Torrey Simpson. In 1940 an additional 3 acres (1.2 ha) of adjacent hammock was incorporated into the park. A building known as the Charles Torrey Simpson Garden Center was constructed on this addition in 1941. This is also the main entrance to the park, at 55 SW 17th Road.
Simpson Park is home to 15 endangered plant species, such as Licaria triandra, and 9 threatened plant species.[2] Being a remnant of local regional ecology in the highly developed downtown area, Simpson Park has the qualities of an urban wild or "passive park".
Hurricane Irma
In September 2017, the park was closed for months after its canopy was heavily damaged by Hurricane Irma.
Entrance
Fence damaged and canopy severely defoliated
Old entrance on northeast at the corner of South Miami Avenue and Broadway (SW 15th Road)
