The building was completed and opened in 1972 and was named after then-Bethlehem Steel chairman Edmund F. Martin.

The building was built in a cruciform shape rather than a more conventional square, in order to create more corner- and window-offices.

In 2001, Bethlehem Steel filed for bankruptcy and officially left Martin Tower in 2003.

Several companies remained until the last tenant, Receivable Management Services, departed in 2007, leaving it completely vacant.

Proposals to convert the building to condominiums or apartments, along with recreational and retail space on the property, proved unfeasible due to the presence of asbestos and the cost of its removal along with the housing market crash.

Restoration of the building, including the removal of asbestos and addition of a sprinkler system, was envisioned by the third year of the CRIZ, with renovations beginning in 2016.

[6][7] In July 2015, Bethlehem Mayor Robert Donchez announced plans to rezone the Martin Tower property.

In January 2019, the owners announced their redevelopment master plan would include demolition of the Tower.

The entire building, consisting of 6,500 cubic feet of concrete and 16,000 tons of steel, came down in only 16 seconds.