Olmsted Outlook Seawall Restoration

Over the coming months, our riverfront property on River Street at Broad Street will be closed for a major construction project to repair the seawall. The wall has held the West River back from the park for over 100 years. With the movement of a century’s worth of twice-daily tides combined with the increasingly heavy storms and flooding induced by climate change, the fieldstone wall has begun to fail. 

The park will be closed during the months-long process, and the public is asked to remain on the opposite side of River Street from the project at all times, even when workers are not present, to ensure public safety and the integrity of the fragile construction. Work schedules for the project will be dictated in part by tides, so while it may appear that no one is working and it is safe to enter, please do not. The parking area will also be closed during this time. 

GLCT is a non-profit organization run entirely by volunteers. With donations from thousands of Guilford residents since 1965, GLCT has protected 3,200 acres of conservation land in Guilford. Although Olmsted Outlook is unlike other, more natural GLCT properties such as Bluff Head, Westwoods, and Nut Plains Woods, the organization accepted the gift from neighbors Howard and Deborah Weaver in 1981 so that the public could continue to enjoy the scenic area with views of the river.

Once the project is complete, the park will look nearly the same as before, aside from the loss of some of the riverside trees, whose roots were intertwined with the wall. There will be expenses associated with repairing the park after the project is complete and the longer-term care of the property. We invite you to donate here to support this work.

GLCT extends our thanks to the Guilford Board of Selectmen for directing significant American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to support this beloved local asset and to Janice Plaziak, Town Engineer, for her ongoing help. We appreciate the community’s patience during this process, and we look forward to sharing a renewed Olmsted Outlook with you for the next 100 years and beyond.

If you visit this park regularly and are interested in contributing to its stewardship following the construction project, please reach out to GLCT at info@guifordlandtrust.org. Thank you!

Condition of Seawall in 2023

Progress: March 29, 2024

Progress: July 2024

Progress: September 2024

Progress: October 2024