History & local legend
The Smith Memorial Arch stands in West Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. Among its columns and Civil War memorial sculptures are curved stone benches known for an unusual acoustic effect: a whisper at one end can be heard by someone seated far away at the other.
The attraction has been familiar to generations of visitors. In a comment on Hidden City Philadelphia's 2017 history of the monument, Jim Ryan remembered trying it as a child in the 1940s and knowing the spot as the whispering corner. Its appeal is the contrast between the distance separating two people and the intimacy of the sound they can exchange.
The memorial itself was commissioned by type founder Richard Smith. He arranged the design before his death and left its model and specifications in a safe-deposit box. Construction began in 1898, with the final sculptures installed in 1912.
