Martin Hall, completed in 1870, is the oldest building on the West Virginia University campus. The uniqueness of Martin Hall saved it from destruction-- the fate of many early University buildings torn down to make room for the new. Considered an irreplaceable example of nineteenth-century architecture, it and the other Woodburn Circle buildings (Woodburn Hall and Chitwood Hall) have been entered on the National Register of Historic Places.

George A. Smyth, former University architect, said Martin Hall "was built in the eclectic period of the Classic Revival and can be identified as being in the French manner of the Second Empire."

Originally named University Hall, it was the first building constructed by the new West Virginia University, established by the combination of Woodburn Female Seminary and Monongalia Academy in 1867.

The building was renamed Martin Hall in 1889, in honor of the University's first president, the Rev. Alexander Martin. A Methodist minister born in Scotland, Martin was University president from its founding until 1875.

For nearly 50 years Martin Hall was the center for all classes for prep students and served as headquarters for the Columbian and Parthenon Literary societies. From 1918 through 1952 it housed the physics department.

In 1952, Perley Isaac Reed of the School of Journalism requested Martin Hall to replace journalism's cramped quarters on the top floor of Woodburn Hall. After a renovation, the School of Journalism moved into its new quarters in 1953.

Martin Hall was renovated once more, in 1976-77.