Swampscott's Mission On The Bay To Reopen 1 Month After Seawall Collapse

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — Owners of Mission on the Bay are preparing to reopen the Swampscott oceanfront restaurant one month after a partial collapse of the seawall under its rooftop deck.

The collapse, which forced the closure of the dining spot so that the seawall could be secured and the town could examine the surrounding areas, shuttered Mission on the Bay just ahead of Mother's Day weekend.

But the restaurant posted on its Facebook page on Monday that a reopening date has been set for June 9.

"We're beyond excited to be back on shore, ready to serve up your favorites," the Facebook post said. "Mark your calendars for our re-opening party on Friday, June 9th, and get ready for a memorable summer here on the bay."

While there were no injuries in the collapse that occurred around lunchtime on May 4, it did force the evacuation of the restaurant with utilities cut to the area. While the seawall was determined not to have affected the structural foundation of the restaurant — which is supported with pylons — Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald told Patch that day they were hoping to shore up the seawall before inviting patrons back inside the establishment.

"I did speak with the individual contractor and the owner of Mission on the Bay and we did share our concerns that stabilizing the soil under the building would be a good idea because we don't want to see any of the pylons exposed (to potential damage)," Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald told town meeting members the next week that while it has spent considerable money on maintaining the seawall it would now seek to have the state help offset some of that expense and responsibility.

(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.)