JOHN PORTMAN; EXPANDING CITY SKYLINES, AND THE DEFINITION OF ARCHITECT.

HFN: The Weekly Newspaper for the Home Furnishing Network, September, 2004

Byline: Jennifer Quail

John Portman is a pioneer.

Regarded as the modern-day father of the atrium, Portman also brought a new role to the realm of an architect's duties by becoming a developer as well.

The mind behind Atlanta's skyline and such world-famous constructions as the Marriott Marquis in New York and San Francisco's Embarcadero Center, Portman's aesthetic influence and notion that if you believe it, it can be done, has left its stamp on the 20th century.

Despite his accomplishment and worldwide recognition, Portman is restrained in his opinions of his career, summing it up simply by saying, "we all have certain talents."

While Portman is not one to brag about what he has done for the city of Atlanta -- its...