A bit of history...
Avalon Engineering was originally located in historic downtown White Bear Lake, Minnesota, USA. The City of White Bear Lake, located on the shores of White Bear Lake, is a suburb of the state capitol city of St. Paul. Our main office was located in a building known as The Avalon, which was a theater built in 1927 (shown at left as it appeared then). It has been renovated to house retail on the first floor and commercial offices on the second floor while maintaining as much of the original character as possible.
White Bear Lake was home to a popular amusement park from 1900 through the early 1930's. The area was also a popular summer resort destination. Today the lake is surrounded by year-round residences. The lake is a popular recreational attraction.
The White Bear Press featured Avalon Engineering's unique office in an August 2004 issue. A refurbished portion of the old stage is located in front of Jim Hogenson's desk highlighting his antique coffee pot collection. An eclectic mix of art and antiques give character to all of Avalon Engineering's office suites. As quoted in the article, "It makes it fun to come to work."
A small conference table is made from an antique wooden door with glass insets over the door panels. Old coins, stamps, and buttons under the glass add interest to the table top.
Artwork includes a couple of purchased items like Redlin prints, but the biggest attention grabbers are Jim Hogenson's sculptures.
The antique collection doesn't include fancy furniture. It features 1920's vintage "high tech". The 1890's "coffee maker" burned coal while "newer" percolators burned kerosene.
