IT'S been at the heart of the community in Govan for more than a century but now the Pearce Institute is set for a new lease of life.

Today staff are opening its revamped conference suite to the public for the first time.

But the Evening Times was allowed exclusive access to the new Mary Barbour Suite, named after the leader of the 1915 Govan Rent Strike and Glasgow's first female Labour councillor.

Three years since the project was first suggested, the doors are set to be opened to welcome future generations.

It is expected the new suite, which is already booked for weeks and months to come, will generate around £40,000 a year for the centre - a massive turn around after last year when it brought in just £4000 for the institute's funds.

Norie Mackie, chief executive of the institute, said: "The Pearce Institute has a great future and this new suite will serve thousands in a growing community. We are looking forward to welcoming everyone here on Friday and we are very proud of our achievement."

The finishing touches have been made over the last few days, with painters adding the last coat ready for today's official opening which 200 people are due to attend.

And to mark the occasion the film club Viewpoints will be screening Danny Boyle's film Millions to bring the community together, with Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire coming next month.

It has been a huge task but now the £250,000 transformation is virtually complete.

Funds from Glasgow City Council's Community Growth Fund paid for the revamp but today's opening is just the beginning of a long-term vision for the institute which was gifted to the people of Govan in 1906 in memory of Sir William Pearce, chairman of the Fairfield Shipbuilding Company and Govan's flamboyant first MP.

A £500,000 roof project is expected to get under way in the next year once funding is secured with future plans for a multi-million refurb of the MacLeod Hall and other key areas of the building.

Generations of Govan families have used the institute to learn, play, celebrate, discuss and perform.

Even Hollywood star Cary Grant, who had appeared at the Glasgow Panopticon in 1920, visited the Pearce Institute on a return to the city in the 1960s.

Just seven years after the city landmark was threatened with closure because of mounting repair bills and the threat of insolvency, it is now enjoying a boom time.

However, one of the first hurdles which had to be overcome in developing the conference suite was raising the floor of the A-listed building.

Norie added: "A legacy from our Victorian ancestors, who built the place more than 100 years ago, was putting in a floor which was four feet lower than the rest of the ground floor. At one point it looks like there were plans for a swimming pool but it was used for badminton and a gym hall.

"You can still see the original hooks on the walls used for climbing and I suppose lowering the floor would have given extra height.

"We have a new entrance which means the suite is closer to the main entrance and there is also a link to the cafe, which is a great boost for the conference business we hope to bring in. We have space for 70 people so will be hoping to tap into the conference market.

"It is a light, modern venue. We have an internal window which allows people to see what's going on from the cafe area. We are working towards a building which meets the needs of the community for decades to come."

On the wall at the entrance to the Pearce Institute is the welcome: "This is a House of Friendship. This is a House of Service. For Families, For Lonely Folk. For the People of Govan. For the Strangers of the World. Welcome."

It is a message which has as much meaning today when the local Govan community is welcomed in for the opening celebrations. TIMES FILE The building was opened in 1904 SHORTLY after Sir William Pearce died in 1888, his wife Lady Dinah Pearce commissioned the building of a magnificent institute for the men and women of the area at Govan Cross.

Designed by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson, the Pearce Institute opened in 1904, offering reading rooms and clubs, a library, a gymnasium, cooking and laundry departments, and a retiring room.

The MacLeod Hall provided a grand venue for dances and social gatherings and a statue of Sir William sits opposite as a memorial to the engineer who helped make the Clyde the world's greatest shipbuilding area.

Pearce was born in Kent in 1833 but moved to Glasgow in 1863, first becoming general manager of Robert Napier's Lancefield yard, then boss of Randolph, John Elder & Co yard by 1878.

He built several luxury liners, including the 5000-tonne Arizona - the biggest vessel then built on the Clyde.

In 1885, the year Elders became Fairfield's, Pearce became Govan's first MP.