The vision for Manchester’s landmark former Debenhams building

All of a sudden, several years after Debenhams closed in Manchester for good, work has suddenly ramped up on its landmark former home.

The magnificent Grade II-listed building overlooks the busy Market Street in Manchester city centre, and has done since 1932.

This art deco icon was home to Debenhams until the department store collapsed into administration in 2020, closing forever the following year.

Work to transform the building seemed to stall for a long time with it ending up covered in graffiti and becoming an eyesore as of last year.

But it’s now a bustling building site again and the start of its next chapter is well underway.

The vision of developer AM Alpha is to bring this beauty back to its glory days, once again called Rylands.

The ambitious project of works will include the full redevelopment the existing building.

The upper floors of the building are to be converted into high-quality office space, while a shopping arcade is also to be created on the ground floor.

AM Alpha has also revealed plans for a four-storey extension to be added to the current building, which would eventually mean that Rylands boasts 10 whole floors of mixed-use space for business, commercial, and leisure use.

It was initially set to complete in 2025 but that – obviously – now seems unlikely.

But as the months tick on we’ll see new life trickle back into this significant corner of Manchester.

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Featured image: AM Alpha / Rylands Manchester