Robert Silman, founder of the engineering firmSilmanand expert in the structural stabilization of historic structures, passed away on July 31 at the age of 83 after a decades-long battle with cancer.

Following his education atCornellandNYU, Silman started his engineering career working forARUPin London andAmmann & Whitneyin New York. He began his eponymous firm, Silman, in 1966 as a solo practitioner. As reported byArchitectural Record, this early phase in Silman’s career established the engineer as an expert in historic preservation of small-scale projects including the rehabilitation of dilapidated or burnt out tenements acrossNew York City.

As his firm grew in stature over the last five decades, Silman worked on an impressive roster of preservation projects, including theImmigration Museum at Ellis IslandandCarnegie Hall. The engineer had a particular affinity for the projects ofFrank Lloyd Wright; he worked on restorations forFallingwater,Guggenheim Museum, andWingspread.

Silman received a number of accolades for his preservation work, such as the Lucy G. Moses Preservation Leadership Award from theNew York Landmarks Conservancy和他的公司over 24,000 projects including buildings by 14 Pritzker Prize winners such asSANAA’sGrace FarmsandRenzo Piano’sWhitney Museum.

As noted byAIA New York, Robert Silman played a key role in the establishment of theCenter for Architecturein 2003. In recognition of his continued support of the Manhattan-based architectural forum, Silman was awarded the AIA New York Chapter Award in 2009.

Throughout Silman’s battle with cancer, he continued working at the firm’s Boston office and taught atHarvard University’s Graduate School of Design. He is survived by his wife Roberta, and their children, Miriam, Joshua and Ruth.