St. Louis Union Station Marriott Whispering Arch

Published July 16, 2009 at 2:28 pm |

IMG 0068 300x225 St. Louis Union Station Marriott Whispering Arch

They don’t make ‘em like they used to! My work session yesterday was held in the St. Louis Union Station Marriott in downtown St. Louis. It was a gorgeous hotel. In it’s heyday, it was the largest and busiest train station in the world. America’s Westward Expansion undoubtedly played a role in this achievement. Today, the terminal has been converted into a shopping center and hotel. Unfortunately I didn’t have the time or equipment to truly capture the majesty that is this historic landmark. I’ve uploaded some additional photos of the hotel to my Flickr Account. You can view them here.

One of the most interesting pieces of history at Union Station welcomes you as soon as you step inside the hotel. In the photo on the left you’ll see what’s called the Whispering Arch.

The Whispering Arch is a design feature that enables one’s voice to travel up one side of the arch and down to the other. I’m standing on the right-hand side of the arch. From this position I can talk in a whisper to another individual on the other side of the arch. I tried it out and it was very cool.

According to the plaque on the wall, a worker on one side of the arch dropped a hammer. A painter on the other side heard the worker and the secret of the arch was discovered. I’ve uploaded a YouTube video that shows the arch. The quality isn’t that great since it was recorded on my digital camera and not a camcorder. I’m working on that! I’ve uploaded my St. Louis photos and I’ll post more adventures soon.