Tall & Urban News

Bethlehem Headquarters of Former Steel Giant Set to Come Down in May

Martin
Martin
09 April 2019 | Bethlehem, United States

Despite being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010, the former Bethlehem Steel headquarters will be imploded on May 19, 2019, making way for a 52-acre (21-hectare) development.

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Martin Tower is a 21-story, 101.2-meter skyscraper in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It is the tallest building in the city as well as the greater Lehigh Valley—2.4 meters taller than the PPL Building in Allentown. It was opened in 1972.

The building was a testament to the economic heights the Lehigh Valley reached in the 1970s before the large economic downturn caused by the decline of the steel industry.

Sparing no expense, Bethlehem Steel’s new skyscraper headquarters was to be a symbol of power, money and dominance in the steel industry. Architect Haines Lundberg Waehler designed the building in the shape of a plus-sign, rather than a more conventional square, in order to create more corner and window offices. It featured a spiral staircase, doorknobs with the company logo, teak-paneled walls, marble bathrooms and handwoven carpets. The builder was the George A. Fuller Construction Co. of New York, renowned for the Flat Iron Building (1903), the CBS Building (1963) and 1251 Avenue of the Americas at Rockefeller Center (1971).

In 2001, Bethlehem Steel filed for bankruptcy and officially left Martin Tower in 2003. Several companies remained until the last tenant departed in 2007, leaving it completely vacant.

“It came to the point where I think it’s been 12 years now… sitting here …vacant,” Bethlehem Council member Bryan Callahan said. “At some point we’ve got to get these 53 acres back on the tax rolls…I think the developers should be applauded for the plan they came up with. There’s a little bit of everything”

A copy of those plans shows quite a change from the existing skyscraper, with 528 garden-style apartments, a pool, three medical office buildings, retail, a restaurant and a gas station.

For more on this story, go to wfmz Additional information can be found at The Morning Call.