John C. Portman Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John C. Portman Jr.
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| Born |
John Calvin Portman Jr.
December 4, 1924 Walhalla, South Carolina, U.S.
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| Died | December 29, 2017 (aged 93) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
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| Occupation | Architect |
| Children | 6 |
| Awards |
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| Practice | John Portman & Associates |
John Calvin Portman Jr. (born December 4, 1924 – died December 29, 2017) was a famous American architect and developer. He was well-known for designing hotels and office buildings with huge, open spaces inside called atria. Imagine a giant indoor courtyard that goes up many floors!
Portman greatly changed the look of his hometown, Atlanta. His Peachtree Center complex became a major hub for business and tourism there, starting in the 1970s. This area includes famous hotels like the Hyatt, Westin, and Marriott, all designed by him. Portman often used simple shapes like squares and circles in his building plans.
Contents
Early Life and Building Career
John Portman Jr. was born to John C. Portman, Sr. and Edna Rochester Portman. He grew up with five sisters. He finished his studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1950.
His company finished the Merchandise Mart in downtown Atlanta in 1961. This building is now known as AmericasMart. In 1965, he started building the multi-block Peachtree Center. This complex grew to be the main area for hotels and offices in Downtown Atlanta.
Portman also created a similar large complex in San Francisco called Embarcadero Center in the 1970s. Unlike his Atlanta projects, this one really focused on making it easy for people to walk around at street level.
Famous Atrium Hotels
The Hyatt Regency Atlanta was Portman's first hotel with a large atrium. This design became his signature style. He went on to create many more iconic hotels and buildings with these open indoor spaces.
Some of his other famous atrium buildings include:
- The Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles (built 1974–1976).
- The New York Marriott Marquis in New York City (built 1982–1985).
- The Renaissance Center in Detroit (first part built 1973–1977). Its main tower was the tallest hotel in the Western Hemisphere for many years.
His important work in China, the Shanghai Centre (built 1990), was one of his first big projects in Asia. The 5-star hotel inside, The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai, was even named after him!
In 2009, Portman's designs were shown in a major exhibition at Atlanta's High Museum of Art. He was also a respected member of the American Institute of Architects.
Personal Life
John Portman married Joan "Jan" Newton. They had six children together.
Portman passed away on December 29, 2017, when he was 93 years old. He was survived by his wife, five of his children, and other family members.
Key Buildings and Projects
Here are some of the important buildings and complexes John Portman Jr. designed:
- AmericasMart, Atlanta (started 1961)
- Peachtree Center, Atlanta (started 1965)
- Hyatt Regency Atlanta (1967)
- Hyatt Regency O'Hare, Rosemont, Illinois (1969)
- Embarcadero Center, San Francisco (started 1971)
- Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, Atlanta (1976)
- Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles (1974–1976)
- Renaissance Center, Detroit (started 1973)
- The Regent Singapore, Singapore (1982)
- Atlanta Marriott Marquis (1985)
- Marina Square, Singapore (started 1985)
- New York Marriott Marquis, New York City (1982–1985)
- Shanghai Centre, Shanghai, China (1990)
- SunTrust Plaza, Atlanta (1992)
- Bund Center, Shanghai, China (2002)
- Tomorrow Square, Shanghai, China (1997–2003)
- Beijing Yintai Centre, Beijing, China (2002–2007)
- Hilton San Diego Bayfront, San Diego (2006–2008)
- CODA Tech Square, Atlanta, Georgia (2017)
Awards and Special Recognitions
John Portman Jr. received many awards for his amazing designs:
- 1968: Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.
- 1978: Medal for Innovations in Hotel Design from the American Institute of Architects.
- 1984: Urban Land Institute Award for Excellence for his work on the Embarcadero Center.
- 2009: The Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award for his long and successful career.
- 2011: The Atlanta City Council honored him by renaming Harris Street in Downtown Atlanta to John Portman Boulevard.
How His Designs Were Seen
Portman was praised for his "cinematic" interiors. This means his buildings felt like a movie scene, connecting the inside spaces to the people experiencing them. In the 1960s and 1970s, placing such large buildings in city centers was seen as a way to help those areas grow.
However, some city planners today have different opinions. They sometimes criticize his designs for creating "insular environments." This means the buildings might feel like their own world, turning their "back" on the city streets outside. For example, the New York Marriott Marquis has a huge, 8-story lobby that was called a "town square." But some now say it doesn't connect well with Times Square outside.
Even so, when the hotel was built, Times Square was not as lively as it is today. So, Portman's style of creating inward-focused spaces made sense at the time. Also, he did design buildings like San Francisco's Embarcadero Center that encouraged people to walk and interact at street level.
See also
In Spanish: John Portman para niños
