This week I learned that a portion of the Glasgow School of Art had been damaged by fire. My first thought was if the library had been damaged. As it turns out, it’s completely gone.

More than the obvious losses; the original hand-carved woodwork, the dinged and dented rush seating, the books, the inventive overhead lighting; what can’t be replaced is the feeling you get from being in a room that was still used for it’s original purpose. Over a century of wear gives a place a patina that you don’t find in other buildings of this importance. Usually roped off from us, we’re distanced from history, but here, one was able to see first-hand why things were designed the way they were.

image used with permission from Robert Procter

In 2003 I spent a week in Glasgow photographing leaded glass and I stayed directly across from the School of Art. The director at the time allowed me use of the library and the resources I gathered are something I refer to frequently.

Photography wasn’t allowed in the library, but I did get images of some of the leaded glass in the rest of the building. I’m not certain if any of this is damaged.

This window wasn’t designed by Mackintosh, but it’s an excellent example of inventive glass lettering and the Glasgow aesthetic.