The 'Dirt Room' Lives On

This little known art installation in a NYC Loft has been hiding in plain sight since 1977.

The Earth Room | Wikimedia Commons

In the heart of Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, a second-floor loft inside a former manufacturing building is covered with a two-foot-deep layer of dirt. The space is known as The New York Earth Room, and it has fascinated locals and tourists alike since its opening in 1977.

The installation, created by conceptual artist Walter De Maria, is known for its simplicity: 280,000 pounds of soil, evenly layered across several rooms spanning 3,600 square feet. Contrasted with the dirt’s deep brown hue, the loft’s bare walls create horizon lines that naturally draw onlookers’ curious gazes.

While the concept is simple, the Earth Room is far from low maintenance, and the New York-based Dia Art Foundation employs someone to steward the space and to keep it nicely raked, free of any weeds; a role currently held by Dana Avendano, a 28-year-old artist. If you are wondering why you haven't ever seen a photograph of the installation before, it's because visitors are banned from taking snaps.

The New York Earth Room at 141 Wooster Street, NYC, is open Wednesday to Sunday, 12 - 3 pm, 3:30 - 6 pm.