Lawrence Reese (1865-1915), a native of Marlboro County who came to Darlington as a merchant by 1887, was a self-taught master craftsman and designer with no formal training in architecture. West Broad Street features several late-19th to early-20th century residences he designed and built, including the Belk Funeral Home at 229 West Broad, built about 1900 as a residence for Abraham Hyman and Reese's own favorite among the houses he designed there. The West Broad Street Historic District includes 14 houses designed and built by Reese between about 1890 and about 1910, most with elaborate Eastlake, Queen Anne, and other Victorian-era architectural elements. Reese also designed and built the South Carolina Western Railway Station on Russell Street, built in 1911.