Glasgow School of Art Museum

Address: 167 Renfrew St, Glasgow G3 6RQ, United Kingdom

Website: https://www.gsa.ac.uk

Admission: Admission to public galleries varies; university campus generally accessible (special exhibitions may charge)

The Glasgow School of Art is a historic art and design school in Glasgow, Scotland, best known for its original Mackintosh Building designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The Mackintosh Building is regarded as one of the defining works of early 20th-century architecture in Britain.

The school’s signature building was designed and constructed under Mackintosh at the turn of the 20th century and became an emblem of Glasgow’s architectural heritage. The Mackintosh Building was badly damaged by fires in 2014 and again in 2018; subsequent conservation and restoration efforts have been ongoing.

The campus sits on Renfrew Street in central Glasgow, within the city’s West End educational and cultural district, with the Reid Building positioned directly adjacent to the original Mackintosh site.

• Mackintosh building and fires: The Mackintosh Building is the school’s signature work by Charles Rennie Mackintosh; it suffered two major fires in 2014 and 2018 that caused extensive damage and led to a long-term restoration programme.
• Campus arrangement: The Reid Building opened in 2014 and remains the main operational campus building for teaching and exhibitions while restoration work continues on the Mackintosh Building.

What to See#

• Mackintosh Building (original): The original Mackintosh Building on Renfrew Street, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and constructed between the late 1890s and early 1900s, widely regarded as a key example of early modernist and Art Nouveau architecture in Britain.
• Reid Building (modern extension): The Reid Building, a modern addition completed in 2014 designed by Steven Holl Architects, located across Renfrew Street and housing studios, galleries and teaching spaces that form part of the Glasgow School of Art campus.

Glasgow Queen Street and Central stations are a 10-20 minute walk away; the city’s bus network serves Renfrew Street directly. From Buchanan Bus Station it’s about a 10‑minute walk.

• Check the Glasgow School of Art's official site for current visitor policies-parts of the Mackintosh building have been closed or under restoration following fires in 2014 and 2018.
• If the Mackintosh building is closed, seek out the university's exhibitions at other campus venues which often display student work and collections.
• Combine a visit with a walking tour of Mackintosh buildings in Glasgow for architectural context.