After a night at the Oyster Bar and Restaurant in Grand Central, while walking through the mystical tunnels of Grand Central you may notice something odd when you reach this point.
You may see a person standing, facing a corner like a mischievous child sent to the corner for some quiet time, apparently talking to themselves. As crazy as this may seem we suggest to you that they may be onto something. If you look to the diagonal corner and find someone there, it’s likely that they’re actually having a conversation via the famous Whispering Walls of Grand Central.
The magnificently historical vaulted ceilings were built with just the right amount of arching to allow for the sound of one corner to travel or “telegraph” to the opposite corner. This may not be fascinating until you realize that the length of one corner to another is 10 meters!
The four whispering walls in Grand Central were constructed by a father-son duo in 1913, using a beautiful herringbone pattern of ceramic tiles, known as “Gustavino” tiles. Such tile work can be found in many other significant beaux arts architecture throughout New York City.
Also known as the Whispering Gallery of Grand Central, this gallery has been known for at least one famous marriage proposal. It is said that Charles Mingus, the renowned jazz musician, proposed to his wife under these arches.
A note of warning however, if you do decide to have a short-distance conversation through these walls, be sure to not share any secrets as your conversation might be intercepted on the other corners!
Note: We try to be as accurate as possible but make no guarantees. Please use this information at your own risk.
Sources:
Photo without change courtesy of David Hsu via Flickr (https://flic.kr/p/jk8o5W)
http://www.nycgo.com/articles/new-york-secrets-slideshow
http://manhattan.about.com/od/historyandlandmarks/a/secretgrandcent.htm
http://cupofjo.com/2011/11/a-secret-of-grand-central/
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/grand-central-terminal-whispering-gallery
http://untappedcities.com/2013/03/07/the-secrets-of-grand-central-part-3/