Senator Kirsten Gillibrand visited the Hudson Valley on Friday to announce an increase in federal funding for the preservation of historic sites. 

The senator spoke at the Ritz Theatre Lobby in Newburgh. The historic theatre saw the likes of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Lucille Ball grace it's iconic stage in its heyday. And now there's a renovation project in the works that has partially been funded by grants from the Historic Preservation Fund. 

Money from this fund helps to pay for grants and historic renovation tax credits, which officials say help spur interest in development projects.

"They really help organizations like mine to make that transition into turning our down and out blighted historic assets into true assets in our community," says Executive Director of Safe Harbors of the Hudson  

The senator says that more than 80 million dollars for the federal Historic Preservation fund was allocated in the 2019 Department of the Interior Budget. That's an increase of more than 50 million dollars over what was originally allocated for the program by President Trump.