john portman-architect

This is a picture of the interior of AmericasMart, the trade showroom and buying center that John Portman design back in the late 1950's. I had never heard of this architect until last night, when a student, a native of Atlanta told me how he had designed practically every major building in that city.

Portman is probably the most influential American designer of retail and hospitality complexes. I make that claim without any significant research or evidence--which means that it is just as valid as the claims made about other architects by professional historians.

His work is compelling, professional and sublime in a way that only America is sublime. I can imagine how other architects turn up their nose at what he does, but he gets to laugh all the way to the bank.