Glasgow School of Art’s Fire Repair Costs $59 Million

Scotland’s Glasgow School of Art suffered a devastating fire last month that resulted in severe damage to the institution’s beloved Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed library. Many degree students lost their work. The school’s director, Tom Inns, said the cost of repairing the damaged building will likely fall between £20–£35 million ($34–$59 million) and could take up to four years to complete, the BBC reports. The cost could be met by government, insurance and donations, he says. Meanwhile, a £750,000 fund will be made available to students to recreate works they lost in the fire.

Though the library was destroyed, the school’s museum and archives survived. Members of the Scottish parliament and culture committee held a special session on Tuesday to discuss how the school will be restored. Noting that the school has an insurance policy on the building, Inns said he is “reasonably confident” that it will be able to fully fund the restoration. Inns told members of Scottish Parliament that he had been in discussions with  an insurance company and a team of people appointed to deal with securing the building. According to Inns, the Scottish government said it would match-fund up to £5 million ($8.5 million) to support the restoration. Though Inns said that the school had already received some generous contributions from individual donors, he said it was “a bit too early to say exactly what that is.”

Inns said the school is planning to launch the fund on June 18, and is hoping to raise between £10–£20 million ($17–$34 million).