Entry No. 23 — the New York City file — filed under: art-immersive

The New York Earth Room

Behind an unmarked SoHo door and up a flight of stairs sits Walter De Maria's 1977 installation: a pristine white loft filled with 280,000 pounds of dark, damp soil, 22 inches deep across 3,600 square feet. The earth is raked and watered weekly, and the rich smell hits you before you reach the top of the stairs; for 35 years it was tended by a single devoted caretaker. It has been kept exactly this way, free to the public, by the Dia Art Foundation for decades. Open Wednesday to Sunday.

The move: Climb the quiet stairwell together, lean on the railing, and just breathe in the loamy smell of a room full of dirt in the middle of SoHo.

📍 Before you go Free admission, open Wednesday-Sunday with a midday closure break, no photography allowed, and the entrance is a plain residential door so watch the address closely.

• 📍 SoHo, Manhattan
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 141 Wooster St, New York, NY 10012

Hours: Added 2026-06-23 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

last checked: 2026-06-23