John Calvin Portman Jr. (December 4, 1924 – December 29, 2017) was an American neofuturistic

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and

real estate developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to other ...

widely known for popularizing hotels and office buildings with multi-storied interior atria. Portman also had a particularly large impact on the cityscape of his hometown of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, with the Peachtree Center complex serving as downtown's business and tourism anchor from the 1970s onward. The Peachtree Center area includes Portman-designed

Hyatt Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational corporation, multinational hospitality company headquartered in the 150 North Riverside, Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchise ...

Westin Westin Hotels & Resorts is an American upscale hotel chain owned by Marriott International. , the Westin Brand has 226 properties with 82,608 rooms in multiple countries in addition to 58 hotels with 15,741 rooms in the pipeline. History Wes ...

, and Marriott hotels. Portman's plans typically deal with primitives in the forms of symmetrical squares and circles.

Early life and career

Portman was born on December 4, 1924, in

Walhalla, South Carolina Walhalla is a city in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Oconee County, South Carolina, United States. Designated in 1868 as the county seat, it lies within the area of the Blue Ridge Escarpment, an area of transition between mountains a ...

, to John C. Portman Sr. and Edna Rochester Portman. He had five sisters. He graduated from the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...

in 1950. His firm completed the Merchandise Mart (now AmericasMart) in

downtown Atlanta Downtown Atlanta is the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The largest of the city's three commercial districts (Midtown Atlanta, Midtown and Buckhead being the others), it is the location of many corporate and region ...

in 1961. The multi-block Peachtree Center was begun in 1965 and would expand to become the main center of hotel and office space in Downtown Atlanta, taking over from the Five Points area just to the south. Portman would develop a similar multiblock complex at

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

Embarcadero Center Embarcadero Center is a commercial complex of four office towers, two hotels, and a shopping center located in San Francisco. An outdoor ice skating rink is open in the center during winter months. Embarcadero Center sits on a site largely bo ...

(1970s), which unlike its Atlanta counterpart, heavily emphasized pedestrian activity at street level. The Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Portman's first atrium hotel, would lead to many more iconic hotels and multi-use complexes with atria, including the

Westin Bonaventure Hotel The Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites is a , 33- story hotel in Los Angeles, California, constructed between 1974 and 1977. It was designed by architect John C. Portman Jr.. The top floor has a revolving restaurant and bar. It was originall ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

(1974–1976), the

New York Marriott Marquis The New York Marriott Marquis is a Marriott hotel on Times Square, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Designed by architect John C. Portman Jr., the hotel is at 1535 Broadway, between 45th and 46t ...

(1982–1985), and the

Renaissance Center The Renaissance Center, commonly known as the RenCen, is a complex of seven connected skyscrapers in downtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. Located on the Detroit International Riverfront, the RenCen is owned and used by General Motors ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

(first phase 1973–1977), whose central tower remained the tallest hotel in the Western Hemisphere until the completion of 1717 Broadway in 2013. His signature work in China, the Shanghai Centre (1990), was the first of many major projects in China and elsewhere in Asia. The 5-star hotel inside, The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai (formerly Portman Shangri-La Hotel), was named after him. In 2009, Portman's work was featured in a major exhibition at Atlanta's

High Museum of Art The High Museum of Art (colloquially the High) is the largest museum for visual art in the Southeastern United States. Located in Atlanta, Georgia (on Peachtree Street in Midtown, the city's arts district), the High is 312,000 square feet (28, ...

. Portman was a Fellow of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

Personal life

Portman married Joan "Jan" Newton. They had six children. Portman died on December 29, 2017, aged 93, in Atlanta. His daughter-in-law is Traylor Howard.

Portfolio

''In chronological order by first listed completion date — for complexes, by completion date of first building in complex'' An asterisk (*) following a listing indicates a work done in partnership with H. Griffith Edwards.

1960s

* AmericasMart (formerly the ''Atlanta Market Center''),

**AmericasMart 1 (also known as the ''Merchandise Mart''), 1961* **AmericasMart 2 (also known as the ''Gift Mart''), 1992 **AmericasMart 2 West, 2008 **AmericasMart 3 (also known as the ''Apparel Mart''), 1979 *Atlanta Decorative Arts Center (ADAC),

Peachtree Hills Peachtree Hills is a neighborhood within the Buckhead district of Atlanta, Georgia. It primarily contains residential buildings, however, commercial buildings are scattered throughout the neighborhood. Peachtree Battle Shopping Center is located ...

, Atlanta, 1961 *Cary Reynolds Elementary (formerly Sequoyah Elementary and Northwoods Area Elementary before that), 1961 *Sequoyah Middle School (formerly Sequoyah High School), 1963 * 230 Peachtree Building (formerly the ''Peachtree Center Tower''), Atlanta, 1965* * Antoine Graves, Atlanta, 1965* * Antoine Graves Annex, Atlanta, 1966* *Spalding Drive Elementary School, Sandy Springs, Georgia, 1966* * Henderson High School, Chamblee, 1967* * Peachtree Center, Atlanta **Peachtree Center North (formerly the ''Atlanta Gas Light Tower''), 1967* **Peachtree Center South, 1969 **Peachtree Center International Tower (formerly the ''Peachtree Cain Building''), 1972* **Harris Tower, 1975* **Marquis One, 1985 **Marquis Two, 1989 * Hyatt Regency Atlanta (formerly the ''Regency Hyatt House''), 1967* * Hyatt Regency O'Hare, Rosemont, 1969

1970s

*BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (now The Westin Chattanooga Hotel),

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

, 1971 *

** One Embarcadero Center (formerly the ''Security Pacific Tower''), 1971 ** Two Embarcadero Center, 1974 ** Three Embarcadero Center (formerly the ''Levi Strauss Building''), 1977 ** Four Embarcadero Center, 1982 ** Hyatt Regency San Francisco (also known as ''Five Embarcadero Center''), 1973 ** Embarcadero West, 1989 ** Le Méridien San Francisco (formerly the ''Park Hyatt San Francisco''), 1988 * The Mall at Peachtree Center, Atlanta, 1973 * The Tower (formerly the ''Block 82 Tower'', ''Bank One Tower'', ''Team Bank'', ''Texas American Bank'', and ''Fort Worth National Bank Building''),

Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

, 1969–1974 *

Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta, is a skyscraper hotel on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, adjacent to the Peachtree Center complex and the former Davison's/Macy's flagship store with 1,073 rooms. At and 73 stories, a total ...

, Atlanta, 1976 *

, 1974–1976 *

** Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center (formerly the ''Detroit Plaza Hotel'', ''The Westin Hotel Renaissance Center Detroit''), 1973–1977 ** Renaissance Center Tower 100, 1973–1977 ** Renaissance Center Tower 200, 1973–1977 ** Renaissance Center Tower 300, 1973–1977 ** Renaissance Center Tower 400, 1973–1977 ** Renaissance Center Tower 500, 1979–1981 ** Renaissance Center Tower 600, 1979–1981

1980s

* The Regent Singapore (formerly the ''Pavilion InterContinental Hotel''),

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, 1982
George W. Woodruff Physical Education Center

Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...

, 1983 * Peachtree Center Athletic Club, Atlanta, 1985 * Atlanta Marriott Marquis, 1985 * Hyatt Regency Jeju, Jungmun, Jeju-do, South Korea, 1985 * Marina Square, Singapore ** Marina Square Shopping Centre, 1985 ** Mandarin Oriental Singapore, 1985 ** Marina Mandarin Singapore, 1985 ** The Pan Pacific Singapore, 1986 * Entelechy II, Sea Island, 1986 *

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, 1982–1985
R. Howard Dobbs University Center
Emory University, 1986 (demolished) * Northpark Town Center, Sandy Springs ** Northpark 400, 1986 ** Northpark 500, 1989 ** Northpark 600, 1998 * JW Marriott San Francisco Union Square (formerly the ''Pan Pacific San Francisco'' and ''Portman Hotel''), 1987 * American Cancer Society Center (formerly the ''Inforum Technology Center''), Atlanta, 1989 * Riverwood 100 (formerly the ''Barnett Bank Building''), Vinings, 1989

1990s

* Shanghai Centre,

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, 1990 ** Shanghai Centre West Apartment (also known as the ''Exhibition Centre North Apartment 1'') ** Shanghai Centre Apartments 2 (also known as the ''Shanghai East Apartment'') ** The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai (formerly the ''Shanghai Centre Main Tower'' and ''Portman Shangri-La Hotel'') * Truist Plaza (formerly ''One Peachtree Center''), Atlanta, 1992 * Cap Square (short for ''Capital Square''),

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

** Menara Multi Purpose (also known as the ''Capital Square Tower 1''), 1994 ** Capital Square Condominiums, 2007

2000s

Bank of Communications Bank of Communications (BOCOM or BankComm) is a Chinese multinational banking and financial services corporation. It was originally established in 1908 and was one of a handful of domestic Chinese banks that issued banknotes in modern history. ...

, Shanghai, China, 2000 * Shi Liu Pu Building (also known as the ''Bank of Telecommunications''), Shanghai, China, 2000 * Bund Center, Shanghai, China, 2002 ** Bund Center (also known as the ''Shanghai Golden Beach Tower'') ** The Westin Bund Center, Shanghai ** Westin Residences * Westin Warsaw Hotel,

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, Poland, 2001–2003 * Beijing Yintai Centre (also known as the ''Silvertie Center''),

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, China, 2002–2007 ** Beijing Yintai Centre Tower 1 ** Beijing Yintai Centre Tower 2 ** Beijing Yintai Centre Tower 3 * The Westin Charlotte, Charlotte, 2003 *

Tomorrow Square Tomorrow Square () is the eighth-tallest building in Shanghai, China. It is located in Huangpu District, Puxi, close to People's Square. It is about 285 m (934 ft) tall and has 63 floors. This multi-purpose building contains a 342-r ...

(contains the ''JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai at Tomorrow Square''), Shanghai, China, 1997–2003 * Taj Wellington Mews Luxury Residences,

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

, India, 2004 * Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, Schaumburg, 2006 *

ICON An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, 2004–2007 * Hilton San Diego Bayfront (also known as the ''Hilton San Diego Convention Center Hotel'' and ''Campbell Shipyard Hilton''), San Diego, 2006–2008

2010s

* JW Marriott Hotel Shenzhen Bao'an,

Shenzhen Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...

, China, 2015 * CODA Tech Square,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, Midtown Atlanta, 2017

Awards and honors

* 1968 Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a nonprofit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest-achieving people in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet one ano ...

* 1978 Medal for Innovations in Hotel Design – American Institute of Architects * 1980 Silver Medal Award for Innovative Design – American Institute of Architects, Atlanta Chapter * 1984 Urban Land Institute Award for Excellence – for

* 2009 The Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award –

Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is an international body in the field of tall buildings, including skyscrapers, and Sustainable design, sustainable urban design. A non-profit organization based at the Monroe Building in ...

* 2011 The

Atlanta City Council The Atlanta City Council (formerly the Atlanta Board of Aldermen until 1974) is the main municipal legislative body for the city of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It consists of 16 members: the council president, twelve members elected from di ...

renamed Harris Street in

Downtown Atlanta Downtown Atlanta is the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The largest of the city's three commercial districts (Midtown Atlanta, Midtown and Buckhead being the others), it is the location of many corporate and region ...

as John Portman Boulevard at Historic Harris Street. * 2013 Four Pillar Award – Council for Quality Growth

Criticism

Portman was praised for his "cinematic" interiors artfully relating interior space and elements to the individual. In the 1960s and 1970s the placement of such buildings in America's decaying downtowns was considered salvation of the city centers, but some contemporary city planners are critical of such insular environments that "turn their back" on the city streets. For example, the

with its 8-floor high lobby was praised as a "town square", but is now criticized by some for turning its back to

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

. Nonetheless, at the time the hotel was built, due to the still-seedy character of Times Square, Portman's style of inwardly-oriented spaces made logical sense. Also, he did, in fact, design buildings (like

) that heavily emphasized pedestrian activity at street level.

Bibliography

References

External links

Portmanarchitects.com: website of the Portman architectural firm

Portmanholdings.com: website of the Portman real estate development firm

Johnportmanfilm.com: 'John Portman: A Life of Building'
— ''film about Portman's life and works, aired on PBS stations in June 2013''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Portman, John 1924 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American architects Modernist architects from the United States Postmodern architects Neo-futurist architecture American real estate and property developers Architects from Atlanta Architects from South Carolina Georgia Tech alumni History of Atlanta People from Walhalla, South Carolina 21st-century American architects