In 1883, the original structure was built for the manufacture of overalls, plumbing supplies, and cigars. In 1913, Cohen’s Opera House was created within the manufacturing building and opened February 4, 1913. Many legends of the Vaudeville era played on its stage. In 1933, Eugene Levy purchased and renovated the theater and renamed it the Ritz. It was then that the theater began its most illustrious chapter, with big-name films and live performances. After closing its doors in 1999, the theater sat vacant until 2002; when the Ritz Theater and the adjoining Hotel Newburgh were purchased by Safe Harbors of the Hudson, a supportive housing and arts non-profit organization founded by Tricia Haggerty Wenz.
This rooftop renovation was critical to complete to maintain the historical structure of this beautiful building in the hart of newburgh. The scope of work was to rip off the existing wood roof and install a state of the art steel roof deck to allow this building to weather storms for years to come. Phase 1 was the very beginning for the build back of the Ritz Theater, cheers to the team at Safe Harbors for all the work they do for our community.