SEAoNY Programs Committee Presents:
SEAoNY and Landmarks Preservation Commission - Panelist Discussion
DATE: Thursday, March 26, 2026
TIME: 6:00 - 7:30 PM
LPC Hearing Room
253 Broadway,
2nd Floor
New York, NY
This is a program to educate structural engineers, architects, and other interested parties on how to address historic buildings that are in structural distress, including buildings found unsafe by DOB via issuance of an Emergency Declaration. The goal is to make the process of stabilizing buildings easier and faster for applicants and DOB staff, maintain existing historic streetscape when relevant, save on demolition costs, and promote waste reduction efforts by minimizing introduction of demolition materials into the waste stream.
1 PDH Pending
Registration Fees:
SEAoNY Student Members*: $10 (Limited Tickets Available)
Industry Friends (No PDH): $25
SEAoNY Members*: $30
Non-Members: $45
*Members must log in to their SEAoNY accounts to receive membership discount on registration. (Students, did you know student membership is free?! Inquire about free student membership at admin@seaony.org)
Registration Ends Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Speakers
Jill Hrubecky, PE serves as the Assistant Commissioner of NYC Department of Buildings’ (DOB) Engineering Services unit which is comprised of the Construction Safety Engineering unit, the Concrete enforcement Unit and Cranes and Derricks unit. These unit, comprised of mostly engineers, are engaged in audits, investigations, and accident and incident response, among other activities, related to active construction sites. In her role, Jill provides technical expertise and manages a team of 45 design professionals, inspectors and administrative support staff. She works to further the DOB’s efforts to create a culture of safety on construction sites and enforce laws to protect all New York City residents, workers, and visitors.
Previously, Jill served as the Executive Engineer for the DOB’s Investigative Engineering Services (IES) unit – DOB’s engineering response and audit unit, supporting all DOB portfolios, managing special initiatives like compromised structures, and aiding the Technical Affairs unit in Code and Rule revisions. Prior to that, Jill was a Principal Engineer with the Forensic Engineering Unit where she provided engineering competence for incidents, accidents, collapses, fires, weather events and building related fatalities. Before joining DOB, Jill was an Associate at Gilsanz Murray Steficek LLP Engineers and Architects, where she worked for 14 years. Jill is a licensed professional engineer in the states of New York and California. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Cornell University and a Master of Public Administration from New York University.
Ian R. King Oppermann, P.E., is a structural engineer currently serving as Deputy Borough Commissioner at the Brooklyn office of the New York City Department of Buildings, where he is responsible for enforcing building code and zoning regulations throughout Brooklyn. Ian has also served as Principal Engineer in DOB’s Forensic Engineering Unit, where he responded to emergency situations involving compromised and collapsed buildings and structures. Prior to joining DOB in 2017, Ian was part of the forensic practice at Thornton Tomasetti and before then provided general engineering consulting services at GACE. Ian has experience in new construction, forensic investigation, repair of compromised structures, and stabilization and abatement of unsafe conditions. He also has hands-on experience with the historic and vernacular construction styles present throughout New York City as well as the rules and regulations that are contemporaneous with their construction. As part of his present role, he is closely involved in DOB's response to unsafe buildings and structures.
John Weiss is Deputy Counsel at the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) and as such he is involved with a wide range of policy, legal and regulatory issues at the nation’s largest municipal historic preservation agency. He frequently works with owners, structural engineers and architects on stabilization and repair efforts when a landmark is structurally compromised. Mr. Weiss graduated from Columbia Law School and Hampshire College and has a Certificate in architecture and planning from the Harvard University School of Design. Prior to law school, he worked for the Municipal Art Society, the Friends of the Upper East Side and the Mayor’s Office. Before joining LPC, he was a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and in private practice. His publications include The Power Line Controversy, Columbia University Law School Journal of Environmental Law (1989); Landmarks and Sustainability, The New York Environmental Lawyer (2009); Demolition by Neglect Actions, National Alliance of Preservation Commissions (2010); and Protecting Landmarks from Demolition by Neglect: New York City’s Experience Widener Law Review (2012).
Donald Freidman, PE is president of Old Structures Engineering, PC, a structural engineering consulting firm for historic and old buildings, working for owners, preservation consultants, architects, contractors, and other engineers. A professional engineer with over 35 years experience in the investigation, analysis, and restoration of landmark buildings, Mr. Friedman holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an M.A. in Historical Studies from the New School for Social Research, and is a licensed engineer in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Virginia. He is a Fellow of the Association for Preservation Technology and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Mr. Friedman’s design experience includes the integration of modern construction into existing buildings with archaic and obsolete structural systems; repair and restoration of steel, masonry, iron, wood, and concrete structures; and the investigation of historic buildings to determine structural type and condition. Representative projects include investigation and repair design at Castle Clinton, the National Monument 1810 fort in New York; investigation and design of repairs to Belvedere Castle in Central Park; design of structural alterations and facade repairs at two 1920s factories in Brooklyn for conversion to Class A office space; facade analysis and design of repairs for the 1902 St Urban Apartments in New York; and frame analysis and repair design at the modern landmark First Presbyterian Church of Stamford, Connecticut.
In addition to Mr. Friedman’s project work, he has taught engineering of historic buildings in the building conservation programs at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Columbia University; he has spoken at numerous conferences on such topics as the structural analysis of masonry facades, and the failure of obsolete structural forms; he is the author of The Structure of Skyscrapers in America, 1871–1900, After 9-11: An Engineer’s Work at the World Trade Center, Historical Building Construction, and The Investigation of Buildings, and the co-author of Building the Empire State and The Design of Renovations. Refereed papers include “Methodology of Conservation Engineering,” “Cast-Iron Columns in Renovation Design,” “Hidden Intricacies: The Development of Modern Building Skeletons,” and “Ambiguity in Building Investigation.”
Moderator:
Eytan Solomon, PE, LEED AP, is a Senior Associate at TYLin (formerly Silman) where has worked since 2004. He has managed projects involving adaptive reuse, new construction, historic preservation, sustainable design, art installations, and structures incorporating unconventional materials such as recycled shipping containers. He currently serves on the New York City Department of Buildings’ Structural Technical Committee, and on the STRUCTURE Magazine editorial board.
Event, Cancellation & Photo Policies:
SEAoNY will accept refund requests made in writing no later than Friday, March 20, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Registration fees are not refundable after this date.
By registering for this SEAoNY event, I give consent for my photograph to be taken or presence recorded and possibly used on the organization’s intranet, internet, newsletters, board reports, and other organizational materials as needed. I understand that I am not eligible for compensation for use of my photo and I may not be informed in advance of the specific use of those images.
