Renowned architect and developer John C. Portman Jr. did not live to see his 100th birthday. But it wasn’t for lack of trying.“The only person who is not here and was determined to be is my dad,” said Jana Portman, one of Portman Jr.’s children at a celebration of her father’s life on Dec. 4. “There was no question that he expected to live to 100 and beyond.”
Jarel Portman, another one of his children, agreed. “He always thought he would live to 100-plus,” Jarel said.
“We used to have parties in the office on his birthday,” Jana said. “When he passed away, we obviously didn’t do it. We wanted this to be the founder’s celebration.”
The venue for the 100th celebration was Ten Twenty Spring, an office tower at Spring and 10th streets, which opened the day before Portman’s birthday. It was developed by Portman Holdings, the company that carries on the Portman legacy.
The company is owned by the Portman family and its CEO, Ambrish Baiswala, who joined the company in 2006 when Portman was 82.
“Of all the things I can remember was his presence, his commanding presence,” said Baiswala during the celebration. “He pushed you hard. He worked very hard. He also was super focused.”
Then Baiswala turned to John Portman IV, who is now president of Portman Holdings, saying: “John, I think he would be very proud of you.”
In an interview during the celebration, John IV and Ambrish spoke of the legacy.
“I stand on my dad’s and my grandfather’s shoulders,” John IV said. “It is very meaningful to me to be able to help make this legacy our own.”
John IV’s father was John C. “Jack” Portman III, who died in August 2020. It was Jack Portman who was to carry on the architectural legacy of the firm, but Jack’s role with the company went far beyond the architecture. He led the company’s impactful developments in Asia, a continent where the Portman name still holds great sway.
John IV joined Portman Holdings in January 2009. “I had a good eight years of working with my grandfather — watching him and being corrected by him,” he said.
The Portman legacy also lives on through Jarel, who has become a significant developer in his own right through the company JPX Works. Portman lived to see — and admire — one of JPX Works’ most significant projects, Lilli Midtown, adorn the skyline. Lilli Midtown, a 24-story tower with 147 luxury apartment units and street-level retail, sits across Peachtree from the Fox Theatre.
Sometimes JPX Works will collaborate or compete with Portman Holdings. But because Jarel is an owner of both, the relationship is close.
The last building Portman designed was part of the Georgia Tech campus — the CODA building at Tech Square, which includes Anthem’s Technology Center.
“Fittingly, the last building Dad designed was for his alma-mater,” Jarel said.
Jana added that her father, who was a painter and sculptor, designed a sculpture that is in front of Georgia Tech’s School of Architecture.
“With the buildings, his legacy continues to exist on its own,” said Jana, president of Portman Financial. “We have a charitable foundation that will continue to support things he supported. We each want to preserve his legacy and figure out how we can add to it.”
Although Portman’s legacy lives on, Jarel said some significant changes have taken place.
“Because our father is no longer around, Ambrish is truly the driver of Portman Holdings,” Jarel said. “With Ambrish and John, in a way some of the constraints are gone. We don’t have to design it. When my father was around, we knew who the architect was going to be.”
Now Portman Holdings and JPX Works can select from a myriad of architects.
“I like to work with architects I think have something to say,” Jarel said, noting that his father didn’t design Ten Twenty Spring. The building was designed by the Dallas-based HKS architectural firm. “This is so magnificent.”
Ten Twenty Spring was built around the H.M. Patterson & Son Funeral Home and Chapel, which was designed by Philip Trammel Shutze and constructed in 1928. The building was preserved through protections imposed by the city, a victory for preservationists who have seen so many of Atlanta’s most significant structures be demolished in the name of progress.
Some of Portman’s signature buildings replaced several historic structures. The Henry Grady Hotel was demolished to make way for the Westin Peachtree Plaza. And Portman’s Truist Plaza was built in 1992, replacing the architecturally significant Farlinger/Frances Hotel, which was destroyed by fire.
Portman was a revolutionary architect who brought the atrium design to hotels, beginning with the ground-breaking Hyatt Regency Atlanta and continuing with the Marriott Marquis. Those are just two of Portman’s buildings that adorn Atlanta’s skyline.
Jana said that when a founder passes away, others evolve and recreate themselves — in this case, it’s Baisiwala and John IV. “We are super grateful for that,” she said. For Baisiwala, it’s all part of carrying on Portman’s legacy.
“I loved his sense of design and his desire to never give up,” Baisiwala said. “I have no doubt if he were here today, he would have ideas about AI.”
Note to readers:
John C. Portman Jr. was a fixture in my life for as long as I can remember. My father, I.E. Saporta, was one of Portman’s professors at Georgia Tech, and they developed a close relationship over the years.
In fact, one of my father’s class assignments was for students to design a “merchandise mart” for Atlanta. Portman took that idea and developed Atlanta’s Merchandise Mart, which is still an important economic generator for downtown. My father used to envy Portman for his dual role as developer and architect. Most architects are hired guns, having to design whatever the client wants. But when the architect is also the developer, he or she can realize their design.
Papa was also Jack Portman’s professor, and my mother taught him French at the Alliance Francaise d’Atlanta.
One of the more poignant interviews I had with Portman was in 2009 when the Atlanta Housing Authority was moving forward with plans to demolish the Antoine Graves Senior Housing Highrise. The Portman-designed building across from MARTA’s King Memorial Station was an open-air prototype for the Hyatt Regency.
At the time, Portman emphatically said: “Save it. That’s selfish. But save it.”
To view our own Kelly Jordan’s collage of John C. Portman Jr.’s buildings, please click here.
