Let the building begin

The house to be built was designed by Frank, a retired lawyer who’d spent two years in medical school and one year in architecture school.

“I’m sure it’s a little presumptuous to design your own house if you’re not an architect,” Frank said. “But I knew what we wanted; I just can’t draw perspective. Thankfully, Edye Conkerton, an architect in Taylor, took my design and did what needed to be done so it could be followed by builders.”

And it wasn’t his first foray into architectural design. He’d had practice when he designed 19 buildings that made up Camp Windhover, including the lodge, which he considered a good trial run.

Frank’s affection for the work of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright proved a great influence on Wood’s design — from the contemporary lighting fixtures in the dining area and kitchen to the modern touches in furnishings.

His wife of nearly 50 years certainly had input into the design elements of the house.

“Celia said one story — one single story,” he said. “I accepted that, and that’s what I worked with. The paint colors? That’s Celia.”

The house’s interior has three bedrooms and 21/2 baths. An additional guestroom is used as an office. An extra room just to the right of the entrance was initially to be a screened porch. Instead, it’s a stone-floored den with windows that open.

To the left of the entrance, you’ll find the kitchen, dining area and living room, with built-in bookcases and a massive stone fireplace. Celia’s baby grand piano provides a lovely accompaniment to the room. The open floor plan allows you to stand in one place and take in the entire room.

“When I was designing the house, my kids told me not to dare hole their mama up in the kitchen,” Frank said. “So, the kitchen, dining and living areas are organized into rooms by rugs and furniture, not by walls.”

The cabinets and bookcases are all built-ins, and the kitchen countertops are a leathered granite.

The entire front of the house is made up of large windows, offering a beautiful view of the lake and surrounding property. When the sun begins to blind those seated in the living room, there are nearly hidden blinds for a remedy.

Off the primary bedroom’s walk-in closet is a safe room for protection from dangerous weather and other emergencies.

“Oddly, when we moved in Dec. 15, 2019, the house was not quite finished,” Celia said. “But the tornado sirens were going off, and we actually had somewhere to be safe.”

The house was 99% finished when the Woods moved in, and the builder, Jimmy Mogridge, finished the rest within six weeks, just before COVID hit hard.

Touches of history — family and otherwise — can be found around the house. In the middle of the entrance, you can look up and to the right and left to admire two leaded windows that came from the steeple of the old First Baptist Church when it was on Capitol Street in Jackson. Look straight up and a light fixture containing bits of stained glass hangs. The fixture came from Frank’s grandfather’s lighting store in Jackson, then hung on his grandparents’ porch in the Belhaven area from 1931 to 1998, before moving from place to place with Frank and Celia.

When COVID came, the Woods added a pool and spa just out back — for grandchildren and to give the couple a place to swim while the world shut down.

Frank has also made and placed signage around the acreage with names of places of significance in his life, Celia’s life and their life together.

“He did it for the grandchildren and for us,” she said. “And for him to remember his people.”

The Woods have two daughters. Katherine is a writer whose novels are published under the name Katherine St. John, and Alice is a musician who has scored films and television shows and is a writer as well. Their son Frank, an attorney who does title work in Oxford, is also a singer/ songwriter. They have nine grandchildren.