John C Portman III

Real estate developer and architect John C. “Jack” Portman III has died at the age of 71 of natural causes according to a tribute shared by the eponymous global architecture firm founded by his late father, John C. Portman Jr., in Atlanta in 1953. A graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), the younger Portman began practicing at the firm in 1973 as an apprentice architect and, at the time of his death, held the title of chairman and CEO, a leadership role he had assumed following the death of the elder Portman in December 2017 at the age of 93. Portman returned to his native Atlanta in 1998 and shifted his focus to more domestic projects although he continued to play an active role in the continued expansion of the firm’s sizable international footprint. Proceeded in death by his father and a younger brother, Portman is survived by his mother, five children, four siblings, and five grandchildren. In addition to his globe-spanning professional achievements and active family life, Portman was an avid artist, prolific reader, and natty dresser. He was at his home in Atlanta at the time of his passing. John Portman Architects suffered another major loss last year when president and principal Grace A. Tan, a 30-plus-year veteran of the firm, passed away at the age of 58.