In 1902 Myron Rufus Martin purchased a factory at this site from Mr. L.R. Gorham of the Red River Lumber Company (T.B. Walker’s holding company) and established the M.R. Martin Company (changed to the Martin Manufacturing Company in 1907), which produced an engine-driven corn grinder. He built a new plant to replace the old one in 1916. The plant burned down on October 15, 1925, and the company moved to Anoka.
On October 14, 1986, ground was broken for the Newport on Seven apartment complex (later changed to Avana on Seven), developed by the Dominium Group Inc. of Plymouth. The architect was Johnson, Sheldon & Sorenson. The cost of the project was $14.6 million. Plans included 167 units of one and two-bedroom apartments, with balconies on all apartments, underground parking, game and exercise rooms, outdoor pool, hot tub and sauna, plus services such as car washing, secretarial, and laundry/dry cleaning. Rents were expected to range from $445 to $980, and occupancy was expected in October 1987.
Extrapolating from tax records, the project took up properties at:
3604 Oregon
3620 Oregon
7401 Walker
3603 Pennsylvania
3611 Pennsylvania
3615 Pennsylvania
Tax records also indicate that part of the land may have been owned by Rodgers Hydraulic, and in the 1960s it was owned by the Bush Foundation/Archibald G. Bush.