The blueprint for the Harris Institute, on Avenham Lane, would see the 175-year-old, Grade II-listed building brought back into use for the first time in almost 10 years. A planning application lodged with Preston City Council reveals that the proposal for the repair and refurbishment of the one-time art school also includes the creation of exhibition facilities, co-working space, an art shop and cafe.
In the basement, new facilities would be introduced across the 10 existing rooms and spaces – including five spacious rooms for meetings, co-working and small conferences, plus toilets and storage. A new cafe, and shop/gallery space would be added to the main front rooms at the ground floor level, close to the main entrance. These spaces would be accessed by the new platform lift. On the lower ground floor would be the existing amphitheatre and refurbished toilets.
Work on the John Welch-designed Harris Institute began in 1846 and the building was opened in 1849 as the Preston Institution for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. It was later extended in 1883 and funded by benefactor Edmund Robert Harris on the stipulation that it would be used for educational purposes. More recently, it became the Harris School of Art and then the Darul Aloom Islamic Institution.