Description

The M.R. Wood house is one of the most historic structures still standing in Sugar Land. Its original owners were Milton R. (M. R.) Wood and his wife. Mr. Wood was initially hired as chief chemist and later became the plant superintendent for Imperial Sugar. In 1916, the founders of Sugar Land determined larger and better educational facilities were needed for the growing town. As chief engineer at the time, Mr. Wood was tasked with traveling to California to view a school that was promoted as “one of the finest in the nation” at that time. Upon his return, he copied the school’s layout that consisted of a large central auditorium with ten individual classroom buildings in a semi-circle. Construction of the new school began in 1916 and was completed in 1918. The auditorium was designed by Mr. Wood to be the social center of Sugar Land, providing a space for viewing silent movies and traveling shows. The tiled roof served as a terrace where dances were held. Mr. Wood served as the president of the school board until the early 1940s. While the individual classrooms are gone, the auditorium, restored and updated with funds raised by the Sugar Land Cultural Arts Foundation, still stands at the corner of Wood and Lakeview, next to the new Lakeview Elementary school.