JOHN PORTMAN, FAIA

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Atlanta is hometown to John Portman, architect, developer, business entrepreneur, and civic leader. Born in 1924, the only son of six children of John and Edna Portman, he was raised, educated, and began a unique career within walking distance of Peachtree Street, a street he helped transform.

His entrepreneurial spirit began at an early age as he sold magazines on the street corner and provided concessions to theaters on Peachtree Street. His leadership and vision later would turn the site of his boyhood enterprises into the commercial center of the South, helping transform the gracious Southern city into a vibrant world capital.

As a student, he was a strong athlete who excelled in math and shared his mothers love of art. In junior high, a required course in mechanical drawing changed the course of his education and his life. He had his first taste of architecture, and he loved it. He convinced the school administrators to allow him to combine studies at the college-preparatory Boys' High with the technical study of architecture at Tech High. The love of architecture that began at age 15 never changed.

After high school, he enlisted in the Navy and earned an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. When World War II ended, he rejected a military career to pursue architecture. As a married student and father, he worked his way through the Georgia Institute of Technology with the architectural firms of Ketchum, Gina and Sharp and H.M. Heatley Associates. The retail design experience he gained gave him insight on the human response to design and its impact on people, an aspect that would later grow in his work.

After earning his Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1950, he served a three-year apprenticeship with Steven & Wilkinson in Atlanta. In 1953, he established his own two-man firm in downtown Atlanta which merged three years later with the well-established practice of H. Griffith Edwards, a former professor of Portman's at Georgia Tech. The firm was Edwards and Portman until Edwards retirement in 1968, at which time it became John Portman & Associates.

Portman's willingness to invest in his own projects and his personal commitment to art and architecture was evident from the start. His first commission was the renovation of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Building on which he wanted to affix the metal sculpture of a contemporary eagle. The client liked the idea but was unwilling to finance the art. Portman invested his own money for the sculpture and began incorporating art as an integral part of his work.

His unique entrepreneurial spirit continued to evolve. His early architectural commissions included many schools and small commercial buildings, but he had a quest to respond to the changing South. Drawing on his retail experience, he saw a need for vendor exhibition space in Atlanta. As a businessman, he tested the concept by leasing a converted parking garage that he turned into 40,000 square feet of wholesale showrooms for furniture manufacturers. The success of the project spawned plans for a larger facility. He thought big. Eager to implement the mart concept, he gained the backing of investors to design and build the one-million-square-foot Atlanta Merchandise Mart, which was the start of Peachtree Center, and began the evolution of Atlanta into the nation's third largest convention and trade center. The financial success of the Mart would provide the fuel for his other development activities.

As he pioneered the role of architect as developer, he drew on a philosophy of self-reliance which was strongly influenced by the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. His architecture was impacted by the teachings of Frank Lloyd Wright, who was a guest lecturer while Portman was at Georgia Tech. Like Wright, he focused on the systems by which buildings were organized and the concept of organic unity as a design ideal. He, too, believed that architecture is a comprehensive discipline that should shape and direct all aspects of life. To expedite the process, Portman envisioned the role of architect/developer that would enable him to have greater control of his projects destiny.

In 1960, while the Atlanta Merchandise Mart was under construction, Portman took a trip to the dedication of the much-acclaimed new capital of Brazil. Excited by the anticipation of visiting a new city designed by renowned architects, he returned from Brasilia disappointed by the sterile environment of the new city which showed no understanding of human scale or the need for people to become involved in their surroundings. He vowed to create a more responsive solution to urban design.

Peachtree Center became his prototype, his own home, and his working laboratory for many architectural concepts. Exploding interior space, integrating elements of nature with the built environment, and providing order and variety simultaneously were a few of the concepts he explored as he sought to create a more people-oriented environment.

Soon the demand from the Mart for more downtown hotel space led to the design and development of Portman's first hotel. He knew that to be successful the hotel must draw other travelers as well; it could not rely solely on the Mart. The space itself would need magnetic appeal.

By carefully rethinking the typical urban hotel, he re-addressed the guest experience. It was to be the antithesis to the confining environment of traditional city hotels. The new hotel was to be constructed around a 22-story, sky-lit atrium with glass cabbed elevators providing an architectural journey through the atrium to a revolving roof-top restaurant. The concept was so radical at the time that when the company that had initially invested in the hotel got a new president, they decided not to pursue hotels and withdrew from the project. Portman needed to buy them out or lose the project. His commitment and perseverance came to the forefront as he pitched the project to every major hotelier in the country. None wanted any part of it. Finally, he approached the Hyatt House Corporation, a company with a small chain of motels on the west coast. With the vision of the Pritzkers, Hyatt purchased the hotel and launched their successful entry from motel into hotel operations. The immediate popularity of the Hyatt Regency Atlanta brought international architectural recognition to Portman and to the hotel.

As Peachtree Center continued to unfold in Atlanta with interconnected office towers, restaurants, and shops, Portman was sought to help with the urban redevelopment of other cities. In San Francisco, Architect/Developer Portman, with his development partners David Rockefeller and Trammell Crow, was selected by the Golden Gate Urban Renewal Authority to resurrect a decaying five-block warehouse district. Embarcadero Center's four high-rise office towers and a dramatic atrium hotel were linked by a multi-level retail spine, pedestrian bridges, and landscaped plazas. Embarcadero Center became the catalyst for growth in the district and soon was recognized by the Urban Land Institute for Excellence in Large Scale Urban Development. Portman later linked three more blocks to the development.

In Detroit, Henry Ford sought Portman to stop urban flight from the city with the design of Renaissance Center. In Los Angeles, The Bonaventure Hotel initiated the renewal efforts in the city's Bunker Hill Section. And in New York, Mayor Lindsey sought his help in revitalizing Times Squares deteriorating theater district, a process in which he would persevere for 14 years through the terms of three mayors before completing the New York Marriott Marquis hotel and theater.

By combining the role of architect and developer, the visionary impact of each project was multiplied. The designer and the developer were working as one.

His international work began with the design and development of the Brussels International Trade Mart in 1975 and then shifted to the Far East. When his son, John C. Portman, III (Jack) decided that Asia was a potential market for the company, Jack moved to Hong Kong in 1980 to set up the first Portman Asian office. The Regent in Singapore was John Portmans first international hotel followed by Marina Square, a major complex that encompassed three hotels and a major retail mall. As both the developer and architect, he ambitiously proposed that the three-million-square-foot project not be phased but rather be built as a single project. Though the size and complexity of the project are immense, Marina Square reflects his attention to context and human-scale.

With projects underway in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Indonesia, he entered China in 1980. Working closely with his son, Jack, he was one of the first American architects to become actively involved when China opened its doors to the West. The Portman Companies led the development of Shanghai Centre, a large mixed-use complex that provides hotel, office, residential, retail, and exhibition space. Again, through perseverance and a long-term commitment to China, the firm opened Shanghai Centre in 1990. Its success has been overwhelming, and it has been described by China Daily as "one of the five architectural stars in China mainland." Today, much of the firm's work continues to be in Asia.

Architectural concepts are continually tested by Portman in his ongoing exploration of space and fresh ways to mold a better environment for our society. Perhaps his most imaginative exploration came in the design of his second home, Entelechy II, on Sea Island, Georgia. Completed in 1986, after years of thoughtful planning, the beach house reflects the essence of his design philosophy on a personal scale. Echoes of these ideas are seen in much of his recent work. Yet even though Entelechy II is an architectural showplace, it remains a family home, a place of activity and relaxation.

Throughout the process of designing and developing these numerous projects, new Portman companies were established to provide a full range of services which include design, development, management, and finance. The size of the organization grew from the two-man office to a world wide organization which is based in Atlanta.

Portman believes that an architect cannot gain understanding by isolating himself. He must expose himself through participation and public exposure. He has always been an active participant in civic and community affairs. Five sectors have been strongly impacted by his involvement: racial harmony, downtown development, the arts, humanitarian outreach, and the international community.

As a founding member of Action Forum, Portman was one of the two dozen behind-the-scene business leaders in the influential biracial group that helped make Atlanta a role model for racial integration in the 1960's. His stylish new restaurant on top of the Mart was the city's first integrated restaurant. He advocated cooperation, helping to create jobs and provide opportunities for the economic advancement for African Americans. His commitment to fairness and equal opportunity continues to be recognized with awards such as the Distinguished Community Service Award from the Atlanta Urban League in 1991, the Martin Luther King Salute to Greatness Award from the King Center in 1993, and the 1994 Torch of Liberty Award from the Anti-Defamation League.

His commitment to downtown development has been demonstrated by the active role he takes in civic affairs. From 1969-71, as President of Central Atlanta Progress, he led the city's first comprehensive study for downtown. He was a champion for the construction of the city's rapid rail system in the '70's, he campaigned to keep the international airport close to the Central Business District and he initiated the idea of the Georgia World Congress Center to help foster Atlanta's growing convention industry. He has twice served as a Director of the Chamber of Commerce and in a number of other key offices.

When many of the city's businesses migrated to the suburbs, he continued to invest his own money in buildings and projects that strengthened the central city. Believing that a city is like a human body, the heart must be strong for the rest to survive, he has spent 30 years building a complex that is now 18.4 million square feet and encompasses 14 city blocks. However, the size of Peachtree Center is not as important as is the urban environment it has created. It is a people-oriented place. Parks and plazas penetrate the high-rise buildings. Bridges link hotels, shops, offices, and the marts. Art abounds.

Major works of art are an integral part of the public realm of Peachtree Center, Embarcadero Center, and many other Portman projects. Portman's support of the arts is demonstrated not only by his generous financial support to many organizations, but also by the integration of sculpture, tapestry, and paintings into his architecture. The art does not become part of the architecture but is presented honestly as work in its own right. For years, he commissioned many of the major works for his projects. In the early 1980's, he turned to art as a painter and sculptor. (He previously had tapped some of that creative spirit with the design of furniture and lighting fixtures for his home and many of his commercial projects.) Painting soon became another passion for him. The paintings first hung only in the corporate offices or in the homes of family and friends. The first to be shown publicly are in his newest office tower, SunTrust Plaza, as are several sculptural works that he created specifically for this tower.

As with civic and artistic endeavors, Portman continues to support the humanitarian outreach in the fields of medicine and research. His firm was cited by the American Chamber of Commerce for its early leadership in developing a proactive approach to education and understanding of AIDS in the workplace. His companies have sponsored numerous fundraising events to benefit outreach to members of the design community whose lives have been touched by AIDS, with Portman himself taking an active role in the benefit efforts.

His role in the international community is also very strong. He has been knighted by the King of Belgium and served Denmark as Atlanta's Honorary Consul from 1967 to 1996.

John Portman wrote in 1964, "It is through accomplishment that man makes his contribution and contribution is life's greatest reward." His contribution can well be measured.

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