Grand Central Terminal Has A Whispering Gallery

You can find a corner-to-corner whispering gallery if you stand with your ear right up against the tile work in the domed intersection of walkways on the lower floor of Grand Central Terminal. Even above the clamor of the masses, the sweetest nothing, the softest singing, or whispered threat can be heard.

The gallery's remarkably beautiful arches are the reason for this amazing auditory oddity. Rafael Guastavino, a Spanish tile artisan whose precise work and herringbone patterns can be seen here and elsewhere in the city, invented the patented material and techniques that gave rise to the distinctive tile work in the gallery, which is known as "Gustavino" tiles.

Whispering galleries are an accidental and deliberate occurrence that is neither common nor extremely rare. The dome of St. Paul's Cathedral in London is one really magnificent example.