The historic Bluecoat Arts Centre in Merseyside is undergoing a £12.5m redevelopment.

The revamp will add a new arts wing, four new galleries, a 200-seat performance space and the complete restoration of the 290-year-old building and garden, which will be simply renamed The Bluecoat.

Further facilities will include 13 creative industry offices and 13 artists’ studios, as well as six retail units.

Bluecoat’s chief executive Alastair Upton said: “The Bluecoat will be a unique centre of creativity and quality. Our challenge is to make sure that, whether visitors are watching creative people at work or simply shopping, eating or attending a performance or exhibition, the experience is defined by the same creative excellence.”

The venue – closed for the redevelopment and due to reopen early next year – has presented the works of renowned artists such as Picasso, Gauguin, Yoko Ono, Jeremy Deller, the Chapman Brothers and Martin Creed.

Funding came from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), European Development Fund (ERDF), ACE Lottery and Heritage Lottery Foundation.

Steven Broomhead, chief executive of NWDA, said: “As Liverpool’s oldest and most distinctive building, Bluecoat is one of the city’s architectural gems. It is also a fantastic resource for contemporary artists, helping to support creative and cultural industries on Merseyside.”