Future of Glasgow School of Art Mackintosh building devastated by fire to be announced

An announcement on the future of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Glasgow School of Art building devastated by fire is expected on Wednesday morning.

The building was destroyed in 2018 in the second fire in four years. The university has denied reports that the building won’t be fully restored.

The Grade-A listed building suffered extensive damage in a blaze in 2014.

That fire destroyed the library in the Charles Rennie Mackintosh building, one of the world’s finest examples of Art Nouveau.

A multimillion-pound restoration was well under way when the school was struck by another blaze in 2018 that caused catastrophic damage and devastated the neighbouring O2 ABC music venue.

An investigation into the second blaze failed to identify how it started.

At the weekend, The Sunday Post ran a story claiming the Mackintosh Building would only being partially rebuilt.

In response, The Glasgow School of Art said the “speculative story” was “not accurate”.

STV News understands a meeting with staff will take place on Wednesday morning and will be followed by an announcement about investment in the future of the building.

Timeline of events on the night of the second Glasgow art school fire

June 15, 2018, 11.19pm: Alarm raised with reports of a fire in the Mackintosh Building
June 15, 2018, 11.25pm: The first firefighters and engines arrive on Garnethill
June 15, 2018, 11.50pm: Scottish Fire and Rescue Service watch commanders arrive on the scene
June 15, 2018, 11.57pm: Half the building is well alight
June 25, 2018: Firefighting ends as the last rescue pump leaves the scene
August 25, 2018: First Garnethill residents allowed to return to their homes
March 23, 2020: Covid-19 restrictions prevent fire service investigators from attending the scene
July 2, 2020: Fire service investigators are able to return
September 30, 2021: Scottish Fire and Rescue Service investigation completed
January 25, 2022: Fire investigation report published