BS: Glasgow College of Art (The Mack) fire

Subject: BS: Glasgow College of Art (The Mack) fire
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 16 Jun 18 - 01:07 PM

Very sad news to wake up to this morning, that the Glasgow College of Art, the Charles Rennie Mackintosh building, has again been pretty much destroyed by a very serious fire. It was 9/10 of the way to being completely restored after a previous serious fire in May 2014, and due to re-open again soon. Local people have said that this latest fire was more serious even than the 2014 one, which was itself catastrophic, and this time it extended into the neighbouring cinema/music venue, the O2 ABC, where the roof has collapsed. "The Mack" as it was affectionately known to its students, alumni and other staff is also left as a mere shell with no roof. At this stage it is not known whether it can be saved again. Mercifully, there has been no loss of life.
Full credit to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service who worked through the night to contain the fire. No doubt they will carry our a thorough investigation as to the cause of this fire. There was to have been a sprinkler system installed as part of the restoration from 2014 but this had not yet been done, by various accounts. One of the factors identified in the previous fire's rapid spread was the fact that the internal structure of the building included so much timber.
And all this happening at a time when there were many celebrations going on of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Charles Rennie Mackintosh throughout the city of Glasgow and beyond. Many heavy hearts and a lot of sadness in Glasgow and Scotland generally today.

Subject: RE: BS: Glasgow College of Art (The Mack) fire
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 16 Jun 18 - 01:31 PM

Round here these fires usually happen to landmark historic buildings
when developers have an eye on the land for luxury flats...

Subject: RE: BS: Glasgow College of Art (The Mack) fire
From: Senoufou
Date: 16 Jun 18 - 02:24 PM

Terrible disaster Tattie. Such an important building. Luckily (as I heard) the Art students hadn't left their course work inside the place, or they'd have lost all their efforts in the flames.
It'll be interesting to see what the investigations come up with. It could have been arson...

Subject: RE: BS: Glasgow College of Art (The Mack) fire
From: Gutcher
Date: 16 Jun 18 - 02:36 PM

According to one eye witness the fire was well ablaze in the 02ABC building before spreading to the Art College.
It is also reported that the 02ABC was up for sale.

Subject: RE: BS: Glasgow College of Art (The Mack) fire
From: keberoxu
Date: 16 Jun 18 - 09:56 PM

It sounds suspicious. And entirely unnecessary. What a shame.

Subject: RE: BS: Glasgow College of Art (The Mack) fire
From: Rapparee
Date: 16 Jun 18 - 10:55 PM

I hope that the cause will be found to be something other than arson. If arson, the perpetrator(s) should be made to literally pay for their crime...as well as jail (or gaol) time.

Subject: RE: BS: Glasgow College of Art (The Mack) fire
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Jun 18 - 12:09 AM

Is this right near the Kelvingrove museum? That's such a beautiful area.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: Glasgow College of Art (The Mack) fire
From: Will Fly
Date: 17 Jun 18 - 03:35 AM

No Joe - the School is in the city centre.

Will (ex Kelvin Grove resident)

Subject: RE: BS: Glasgow College of Art (The Mack) fire
From: Jos
Date: 17 Jun 18 - 03:40 AM

IF the fire started in the O2ABC building, would that mean that O2's insurance would have to pay for restoration of the Mackintosh building?

Subject: RE: BS: Glasgow College of Art (The Mack) fire
From: Senoufou
Date: 17 Jun 18 - 03:46 AM

I bought a flat in Partick which is quite near Kelvingrove Park and the museum. Before that, I rented a bedsit in the Byres Road area (Belmont Street) which is even closer. It is indeed a beautiful area Joe.
But the Glasgow School of Art is on Renfrew Street, as Will says, in the city centre.

Subject: RE: BS: Glasgow College of Art (The Mack) fire
From: Will Fly
Date: 17 Jun 18 - 04:15 AM

We actually lived most of the time in Kelvindale, which is a little further out, and my father worked in a paper mill which, needing water, was on the banks of the Kelvin. My first school was Kelvinside Academy, now knocked down, and then I attended Hindland School which, I believe is still going strong.

I went back to Glasgow for a brief holiday in 2001, many years after leaving the city, and had a great time, which - luckily - included a visit to the Mack. A lovely building, and we took in the Rennie Machintosh house and the Burrell Art Collection in the same week. How the city had changed from the post-war Glasgow I remembered as a child! Very smart indeed - at least, in the centre - though I don't know what the outer city areas are like.

Subject: RE: BS: Glasgow College of Art (The Mack) fire
From: Senoufou
Date: 17 Jun 18 - 04:30 AM

I was offered two teaching posts in Glasgow (seventies) One was Kelvinside Primary and the other Bluevale Primary (Dennistoun area)
I'd been teaching in Edinburgh at the time, so went to see both Glasgow schools.

The staff and Head at Kelvinside were a bit stuffy and 'posh', but out at Bluevale they seemed great fun and more down-to-earth. Also, Bluevale was a very deprived area, and I wanted to teach in somewhere like that. (My Edinburgh school in Bruntsfield was quite classy, and I needed a change.)

I never regretted my choice, and grew to adore those children, who sadly lived in absolute squalor.

Subject: RE: BS: Glasgow College of Art (The Mack) fire
From: Will Fly
Date: 17 Jun 18 - 06:37 AM

My Kelvinside Academy in the 1940s wasn't posh at all! It was a one-storey, prefab-like building with a small playground. I think it was demolished in the 60s and the school moved elsewhere. It took pupils from the age of 4 to 5 as a precursor to going up to Hyndland (correct spelling this time). We lived just round the corner from it.

Subject: RE: BS: Glasgow College of Art (The Mack) fire
From: Kenny B (inactive)
Date: 17 Jun 18 - 08:25 AM

Food for thought

Subject: RE: BS: Glasgow College of Art (The Mack) fire
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 17 Jun 18 - 09:42 AM

Our First Minister visited the site yesterday, and pledged Scottish Government support, and Historic Envoronment Scotand will also be involved. Meanwhile, the Fire and Rescue Service are still in attendance, and no-one can or will be drawn on how the fire started until proper fire investigation has been carried out and that may well take time. Nor is it possible yet to say whether the building can be saved and restored again.
I had not heard anything about the fire having started in the O2 ABC: one report said that the fire in the Mack was first noticed by a passing police officer.
But the most often used words are "heart-breaking" and "heart-broken".
Kenny B's link relates to a planning application in 2016 which was subsequently turned down.

Subject: RE: BS: Glasgow College of Art (The Mack) fire
From: Gallus Moll
Date: 18 Jun 18 - 09:21 AM

Re Kenny's link / food for thought- - there are so many blocks of student flats springing up all over the city these days - but is there not an irony in a place of learning going on fire thus diminishing the number of institutions to accommodate all these students?