The high quality architecture at a gleaming York centre for the arts which was once a crumbling medieval church has won national recognition.

And the Early Music Centre, on Walmgate, is now in with a chance of scooping the most prestigious architectural prize in the European Union.

Judges from the Royal Institute of British Architects have made regular visits to York recently, and decided that the music centre should be one of just 53 buildings in the EU to win a RIBA award.

A separate set of judges will now come back to York to decide if the centre will go on to compete for the Stirling Prize 2001, awarded to the building deemed to have made the greatest contribution to British architecture over the past year.

The music centre's success comes as St Denys Church, and the former York Arts Centre and Church of St John the Evangelist, on Micklegate, are featured on English Heritage's register of buildings at risk

It was only last year that the Early Music Centre opened its doors, after £2m was spent converting it from St Margaret's Church.

The restraint shown during the conversion, said a spokesperson for the judges, was a major factor in giving the centre an award.

The spokesperson said: "Restraint is the key to the project's success. The conversion of the church is visually minimal, with the exception of some playfully variable acoustic devices.

"Sitting in an uncompromising corner of inner city York, the walls to street and graveyard are pleasing compositions of handmade brick - matching the church tower - and carefully includes existing large trees."

Centre director Delma Tomlin said: "We are all thrilled, this is a pat on the back for everybody.

"This building was built to be used, not stand empty, and it is certainly being put to very good use now. We are all proud of this building, and the way it has been adapted for our needs was technologically very clever."

Updated: 11:25 Wednesday, June 27, 2001