Glasgow School of Art says £265m needed to restore destroyed Mackintosh building is ‘unaffordable’

The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) says restoring its fire-destroyed Mackintosh Building will cost around £265m, a sum the school’s board of governors calls “unaffordable,” according to a new Business Case addendum. The landmark 1909 Art Nouveau building in Garnethill was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh and was devastated by a June 2018 fire while nearing the end of a £35m restoration following a May 2014 blaze. GSA reports that about £26m has already been spent maintaining the existing structure, but rising construction costs and delays tied to a long-running insurance dispute—settled last month—have made a faithful reinstatement impossible for the school to fund alone. Board chair Ann Priest said GSA still hopes for a full reinstatement (not an exact replica due to modern standards) and will seek major investment from governments, local authorities, and private backers, potentially positioning the building as the centerpiece of a new creative quarter.

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