FurnitureCore
Search Twitter Facebook Digital HFBusiness Magazine Pinterest Google
Advertisement
Ad_EMarketPreview

Get the latest industry scoop

Subscribe
rss

Daily News

From Home Furnishing Business

AmericasMart Founder John Portman Jr. Dies at 93

John Portman Jr., who founded what is now AmericasMart and gained worldwide fame as an architect and developer, died Dec. 29 at age 93.

Portman founded AmericasMart (then called the Atlanta Merchandise Mart) in 1961, and later designed and developed four major downtown Atlanta hotels – the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta Marriott Marquis and Hotel Indigo Atlanta – that are now the heart of the city’s convention district.

When the Hyatt Regency was opened in 1967, its 22-story atrium, glass elevators and rooftop restaurant made architectural history. Today, most Hyatt Regency properties include these features.

Portman’s architectural firm also designed a number of other high-profile projects throughout the world, including the Renaissance center in Detroit, the Embarcadero Center in San Francisco, the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City’s Times Square, the Brussels International Trade Mart, the Shanghai Center in China, and many others.

A public memorial service is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 5 at 12:30 p.m. in the Atrium of AmericasMart Building 3.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Office of Gift Records, Emory University, 1762 Clifton Rd. NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA 30322. Condolences may be sent in care of Jana Portman Simmons, Portman Holdings, 303 Peachtree Center Avenue, NE, Suite 575, Atlanta, GA 30303.



Comments are closed.
Performance Groups
HFB Designer Weekly
HFBSChell I love HFB
HFB Got News
HFB Designer Weekly
LinkedIn