THE fire that destroyed the Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed library at the Glasgow School of Art one year ago tomorrow was a grievous blow, the hurt of which was felt far beyond the city.
The hopes and dreams of that year's graduating class went up in smoke; the cherished memories of generations of artists before them were painfully evoked.
The determination to see the library rise from the ashes was immediately evident; the debate over whether it should be redesigned or replicated was a passionate one. The contract for its design eventually was awarded to architects Park and Page; they will build the new library according to the spirit of CRM's vision.
The task they face, however, is perhaps even more daunting than that undertaken by Mackintosh.
At the time his masterpiece was built, there were thousands of master craftsmen, carpenters and plasterers on the continent able to carry out the most intricate work on major projects. Now there are only a tenth of those left.
It is a challenge that Neil Baxter, the secretary of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, says will be as complex as was the restoration Windsor Castle.
The art school's annus horribilis will soon be behind us. Let us hope we will once again rejoice over a jewel in Scotland's cultural crown.
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