John Portman
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John C. Portman, Jr. (born December 4, 1924) is an American architect and real estate developer known for creation of the multi-storied atrium hotel. A native of Walhalla, South Carolina, he graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1950. Portman also serves as the inspiration for the fictional character Charlie Croker in Tom Wolfe's novel A Man in Full.
Portman scored an immediate popular success with his innovative atrium hotel form used in projects like the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles and the Renaissance Center in Detroit. Portman's Renaissance Center in Detroit opened as the world's tallest hotel skyscraper in 1977, and since 1986 its central tower has remained the tallest hotel in the Western Hemisphere as one of the most expensive Marriott hotels in the chain. It was built as a mark of Detroit's rebirth and redevelopment which in recent years has sparked upscale condo developments on the Detroit River.
Portman is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
Important buildings include:
- AmericasMart, buildings 1-3, Atlanta, Georgia
- Hyatt Regency, Atlanta, Georgia
- Hyatt Regency, San Francisco, California
- The Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia
- Peachtree Center, Atlanta, Georgia
- Marriott Marquis Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia
- The New York Marriott Marquis Hotel, New York City, New York
- The Westin Bonaventure Hotel, downtown Los Angeles, California
- Renaissance Center, Detroit, Michigan
- Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, California
- SunTrust Plaza, Atlanta, Georgia
- Inforum (now American Cancer Society Center), Atlanta, GA
- Shanghai Centre, Shanghai, China
[edit] Awards
- AIA Medal for Innovations in Hotel Design - National American Institute of Architects, 1978
- Silver Medal Award for Innovative Design - Atlanta Chapter, American Institute of Architects, 1980
- Award for Excellence for Embarcadero Center - Urban Land Institute, 1984
