Glasgow School of Art says it can't afford high cost of rebuilding fire-ravaged Mackintosh Building alone

A 12-year saga of destruction, rebuilding and yet more destruction, all underscored by an unedifying seam of political and institutional wrangling, reached an apologetic conclusion of sorts, with the recent announcement that Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s exquisite art nouveau creation is unlikely to be rebuilt in its original form because of stratospheric cost.

The Glasgow School of Art — having lost its historic Charles Rennie Mackintosh landmark twice to devastating fires in 2014 and 2018 — released a statement last week saying it could not afford the astronomical cost of reconstructing the building to its former glory all on its own.

"The current cost of full reinstatement has been calculated at around £265m [$354 million USD], equivalent to five times the GSA’s annual turnover, an amount that is not affordable and which would compromise the financial sustainability of the institution," the statement notes. "The scale of such a project would be beyond the capacity and expertise of the School and, despite reaching a positive settlement with insurers, the funding gap is significant due in large part to the rising costs of construction projects."

In a joint response, the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) concluded:

"The Glasgow School of Art has concluded that the Scho...