Gillibrand
Ritz Theater marquee
NEWBURGH — Senator Kirsten Gillibrand visited the historic Ritz Theater in the City of Newburgh, Friday, as the site is being renovated, to announce a successful funding push for the Historic Preservation Fund, a federal program that will potentially provide $3.2 million to the project.
Gillibrand and fellow senators on the Interior Appropriations Committee successfully put forth a bill that will add $88.91 million to the 2019 budget. The funding is over $56 million more than what President Trump had requested.
The Ritz Theater renovation project was commissioned in 2007 by Safe Harbors of the Hudson, a nonprofit organization seeking to redevelop the City of Newburgh through housing and arts development projects.
Several icons have performed at the theater in its heyday before visiting New York City, including Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra. Safe Harbors of the Hudson’s Executive Director Lisa Silverstone mentioned that Lucille Ball and husband Desi Arnaz performed a sketch at the Ritz that would later become the basis for “I Love Lucy.”
In her remarks, Gillibrand thanked the local leaders and citizens who made this renovation effort possible.
“This theater was the heart of cultural life for many decades, but in recent years, the theater has been sitting empty, and that’s where you all came in,” she said. “You took an old, abandoned theater and you began working to turn it into something spectacular.”
The renovated theater could be an economic boon for the city, improving tourism and adding culture to the city.
Other speakers at the announcement included Daniel Magee, the deputy commissioner for Historic Preservation in New York State, and Allison Capella, president of the Newburgh Preservation Association.
“Historic preservation is an economic driver for the City of Newburgh. It stimulates historical tourism and promotes restoration of deteriorating buildings,” Magee said.
Assemblyman James Skoufis, Newburgh City Councilman Jonathan Jacobson and Orange County Legislator Kevindaryan Lujan attended the event as well. Like Gillibrand, all three are Democrats. Each is seeking a state elective office in November.
In the Hudson Valley, the Historic Preservation Fund has provided over $1.1 million in federal historic tax credits to help pay for more than $5.8 million in project costs to turn the former Poughkeepsie Underwear Factory into a mixed-use building.
The fund has also provided more than $1.4 million in federal historic
tax credits to help pay for over $7.4 million in project costs to convert
the Drum Hill School in the City of Peekskill into affordable independent
housing for seniors.
