Simpson's Renowned  Tropical Garden at Palm Bay . . In a March 1997 Miami Herald article, Howard Kleinberg wrote about Charles Torrey Simpson (1846-1932), who settled in South Florida in 1902 and in 1903 purchased fifteen and one-half acres on Biscayne Bay, the same site now occupied by the Palm Bay Club & Marina.  . He called his home, at 737 NE 69th Street, "The Sentinels" after the two pine trees that stood in the front of it.  .

A close friend of fellow Miamian David Fairchild who was the founder of Fairchild Tropical Garden in South Dade, Simpson was a world famous pioneer naturalist in the same league as his contemporaries, John Muir and John Burroughs. A nature writer like them, he published several books including "FLORIDA WILD LIFE" (not about South Beach!).

Miami’s Simpson Park, located at 55 SW 17th Road, is named after him because, as an early public minded environmentalist, he led the fight for its preservation. It is the last unique remnant of Brickell Hammock, once owned by William and Mary Brickell as part of their original 640 acre tract South of the Miami River.

Simpson was a Union veteran of the Civil War who devoted the last 30 years of his life to researching and interpreting Florida’s plants and animals. Kleinberg wrote that Simpson "was the first to understand Everglades ecosystems".

In addition to our appreciation for his exceptional work, Simpson’s legacy to the residents at Palm Bay is the stand of exotic trees that he planted just inside the front gate entrance to our property. The City of Miami has it listed as a historical natural site.
 

By 1930, Simpson estimated that more than 54,000 people had visited his property, the first real tropical garden in the United States. In addition to his vision, Simpson's legacy to Palm Bay's residents is the spectacular stand of exotic trees that he planted that remain just inside the front gate entrance. The best example of these specimen trees is the gigantic West Indies Silk Cottonwood tree that Simpson planted from a seedling before 1912. This part of Palm Bay is listed by the City of Miami as a protected natural historical site.

Curtis DeWitz

The Palm Bay Club enjoyed a world famous reputation and hosted presidents, heads of state, sports and entertainment celebrities and leading socialites from around the globe, until it closed in 1986.Today, and with many of its original residents, Palm Bay remains as a rendezvous of privileged pacesetters. The ownership roster of Palm Bay includes an extraordinary collection of influential leaders in culture, business, and government.

Phase II, the final step in Palm Bay's redevelopment, is now under consideration. Award winning amenities and landscape architect Emilio Fuster, A.I.A., was commissioned to develop plans to restore Palm Bay's world-class swimming pool and the food/bar facility.

On December 15, 1998, the Miami-Dade County Commission voted to fund the Florida Department of Transportation's long awaited Biscayne Boulevard Improvement Project that will refurbish this major artery from 34th Street to 123rd Street.

In February the City of Miami Commission is expected to vote its support for the city's Upper Eastside Economic Enhancement Plan.

Today, many real estate professionals are of the opinion that Palm Bay represents the best value in Miami's luxury apartment market. In 1998, the average resale price of North and South apartments in the Towers was three times the lowest sale price in 1994. Resale values have stablized and are climbing. In January 1999, a Towers West apartment closed at the highest resale price reached in twelve years!