The Vestry House Museum, in Walthamstow, is undergoing improvement work to make it more accessible and sustainable.
The site will feature a café, gardens, workspaces, and a refurbished museum area.
Waltham Forest Council is working on the project and aims to make this a “welcoming destination” for the community.
The council also hopes the improvements will make the “well-loved cultural and heritage site” a “crucial part of local infrastructure” that is “powered by community decision-making”.
The work will also remove gas boilers and replace them with air-source heat pumps, improving the environmental performance of the site.
More improvements like window glazing, solar PV panels, and a ventilation system will also be worked on.
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Councillor Rosalind Doré, cabinet member for libraries, culture, sports, and leisure, said: “This is an important step in the journey towards Vestry House Museum reopening as an active heritage destination.
“We know one of the priorities for our residents is to be able to enjoy safer and vibrant neighbourhoods, and culture has a big part to play in this – it’s able to bring us together, to share experiences, and nurture our sense of community.
“Having joined the community advisory panel and local history groups at open days with Studio Weave, where we discussed the plans and the future of the space, it’s exciting to see us moving closer to the refurbished building.”
The council said that the building works will clean and preserve historic features of the building like the original brickwork, timber frame, and wooden floorboards.
