RHIANNON: The large vault at the entrance of the Oyster Bar designed by Rafael Guastavino has long been known as the Whispering Gallery. It’s one of Grand Central Terminal’s most treasured secrets. MICHAEL: The Oyster Bar ramp has an acoustic phenomenon. You could stand at one corner of this entrance, and then the opposite corner you could whisper into its corner and it can be heard on the opposite corner, some 40 feet away! RHIANNON: Try it! Stand at one of the corners, with your body facing into the corner, and whisper right into it. Have your partner stand at the opposite corner and listen. It really works, it will sound like you are speaking directly into their ear! DANNY: You hear a lot of interesting stories. I had a friend that, um, he was fond of this lady, and he didn't have the heart to tell her his feelings. And what he did was he brought her down to the Whispering Gallery and they stood opposite corners. And he explained to her how fond he was of her, and they're still together by this day. So when I told him that I was working in Grand Central, I found out that's where he proposed to her. RHIANNON: Rafael Guastavino was born in Valencia, Spain, in 1842 and came to New York City in 1881. Guastavino had built vaulted houses in Spain using clay tiles set in mortar and continued to refine this traditional technique –called bóveda catalana, or Catalan vault– to make vaults that could span large distances. He patented his “Tile Arch System” in 1885. In addition to making the Whispering Gallery and Oyster Bar, Guastavino’s graceful vaults can be seen in many other famous New York City locations.