Portman excels as architect of Atlanta skyline

[Andrea]

Here's an interesting article on the Hyatt Regency: The Beginning of Now: John Portman's 1967 Hyatt Regency in Atlanta

[Martinman]

Speaking of Portman...the America's Mart expansion has started site prep. I noticed a bunch of equipment on the site this weekend.

[dmccall]

I'll lob this one down from Raleigh:

I think Atlantans should be nothing but thankful for Portman's daring, proud towers. I think that someone made a good point. In the 60's most people were fleeing to the suburbs because land was cheap and it lacked crime and bums. His buildings, "brutal" by today's standards (I know what you mean with all those faceless walls of concrete around the Peachtree plaza, Hyatt, and Marriott.) With inward designs people felt safe from the declining quality of pedestrians.

Portman's buildings, if anything, kept downtown alive. They gave Atlanta spirit and inspiration during the 60's, 70's, and 80's when nobody else was. Remember the strong movement to raze the Fox? Portman is not responsible for the demise of the triangle from the Peachtree Plaza to the Capitol to the Rich's, right? Think really hard about those blocks and those Portman masterpieces look pretty darned good now. Portman is not the reason that Midtown is booming and Atlanta's version of the Bermuda Triangle still flounders.