Seawall Collapse Closes Swampscott Restaurant 'Until Further Notice'

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — The Swampscott oceanside restaurant that sits above an area of the King's Beach seawall that collapsed on Thursday will remain "temporarily closed until further notice," according to a message posted on Mission on the Bay's social media on Monday.

The restaurant was evacuated around lunchtime on Thursday when the wall gave way and took with it a railing and a fence under the portion of the building that contains the roof deck. While the restaurant is on pylons and does not rely on the seawall for foundational support, the compromised wall forced the oceanview spot's closure through the weekend, and now beyond, just as the weather turned springlike and with Mother's Day this week.

"Our valued guests and team members are our priority, and we greatly appreciate your understanding during this time," the restaurant update said. "As we work on resolving the situation, we invite you to visit our sister locations in Beverly, Revere, and Newburyport.

"We look forward to welcoming you back soon."

Swampscott police said on Thursday that there were no injuries and the building was evacuated when "it was observed that debris was still sliding from underneath the restaurant."

Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald told Patch on Thursday that emergency repairs were set to be made to the seawall that night and that a marine engineer would be called in within a few days to examine and determine the integrity of the full length of the seawall.

"We've had the entire emergency response team of the town out there to address the immediacy of the issue," Fitzgerald said on Thursday.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)