The New York Earth Room

Smells really nice. Hidden gem in Soho, very easy to access on the 2nd floor. Quite a bit of a climb, so avoid if you have trouble with stairs. It is what it says: a room full of dirt. The dirt looks sanitized enough that there's no vegetation or bugs coming out of it. Essentially just dirt in a giant living room. No tickets, reservations, queues or anything. In and out, ~10 mins experience. You can sit near it and reflect if you want.

I'm not sure how to summarize something so profound in a Google review... The NY Earth room is a treasure to those that are in need of a thought provoking experience. The longevity of this project and the dedication of its caretakers is quite impressive on their own. Thank you to those that dwell in the land of creation, for its inside of creation that we as humans reach a higher plane of existence. Our world is now lacking the freedom to engage in creativity for so many. Our world rewards the opposite of creativity. I know that this exhibit can be a source of fuel to ignite a spark that could enrage a fire for the soul. Go and see for yourself, and then see what comes from it.

I don’t know how I convinced someone to come see the Dirt Room TM with me,, but I did. Right as you open the door to get upstairs, the air already feels different. A bit more humid and with a gentle smell to welcome you. The place is such a marvel to look at just by how unique it is. We can see dirt in a lot of places outside but its something else to know someone deliberately filled a room up with several feet of it and it’s just there. For free to see. Interesting spot

Miracle. This place’s existence is a real miracle. You literally come there for free and see a spacious room filled dirt. Nice experience. For people who don’t understand how to get inside all information is provided outside:)

Love this place so much—I make a point to visit anytime I'm in the city. The combination of scent and quiet and the sort of settled vibe in the space? Oh my. It's a wonderful thing.

You climb the stairs at 141 Wooster and the smell of soil hits you before anything else. Three thousand six hundred square feet filled with two hundred fifty cubic yards of earth, twenty two inches deep. A quarter of a football field of dirt stacked inside a loft, and it has been there since 1977, more than forty years of stubborn anti real estate protest. It is the third Earth Room by Walter De Maria and the only one left. The others in Munich and Darmstadt are gone. This one stayed. Dia Art Foundation opened it to the public in 1980 and has kept it alive ever since. The caretaker Bill Dilworth worked here for thirty four years, starting in 1989 with only a photo of the original arrangement. He watered and raked it daily with ritual precision. He saw mushrooms sprout, dragonflies hatch from the soil, and once found a can of black beans tossed in. He simply raked it back to flat. The artist never explained it, so whatever you think when you look at the dirt is the meaning. Stand there long enough and the sound of the city outside starts to feel wrong. By the time you walk back down the stairs you miss the quiet, the smell, and the sense that maybe the most radical thing you can do in New York is fill a room with dirt and leave it alone.

O3/2025- finally went back and found it! It wasn’t too hard to find when you circle around the area and ask around. It was amazing! I did not book an appointment, I came on a random Thursday even, buzzed in and wait to be accept in the building, walked up a flight of stairs to access the main lobby & the woman at the desk was nice. It’s such a nice quiet space to relax and just think to yourself. Smells pretty fresh in here, one thing I noticed and liked. I would definitely recommend and I would come back even though I’ve been already. ————- 11/2024- Impossible to find. I went to the address and there seemed to be nothing there, even the delivery people outside seemed confused. Hope to visit again and find the entrance when I come back to nyc.

This is a free exhibit. You have to buzz in to enter. It was relaxing and quiet as others say. The only con was that I was told not to take photos, but how would a photo harm yards of dirt? Other than that, it's worth going once.

Originally read about this installation in a novel called Severance by Ling Ma. If you haven't read it, highly recommended. Anyway, I looked it up to see if it fact it was a real thing and it was! At a time like this in '22, the fact that this body of earth exists, an isolated space where life is not allowed to grow, is fascinating to me. After looking up the hrs and making sure they were current, I decided to visit The Earth Room on the first Sunday- the one day a week the main caretakers of the installation are off - of the new year. It was a wonderful experience I would do again. Highly recommended! I sat on the floor with my legs crossed and contemplated.

Service was wonderful. The guy behind the desk let us in! They had a wide variety of the one thing they offer-dirt in a room. At free, it was a great value and a must see on anyone's tourist visit to NYC. I say tourist because all the locals have seen it already, right? Right? Its twin is the Broken Kilometer around the corner. Check it out and ask questions.

Sometimes you meet friends in unexpected places... like in an apartment filled with dirt. The earth room was an immersive and sensory experience both in scent and sight. Beare was curious about how the dirt was maintained for insects and air quality. Belly wondered if a plant could grow in this environment without light. And freaky old lady, Pauline, was trying to make a claim that buildings would be better off filled with dirt. The space was an interesting adventure, but reaffirms that even something as simple as a room full of dirt can be made complicated by someone who needs attention.

Why not visit a free art exhibit in SoHo? We went on a Saturday at 2:30pm. Pressed the door button for 2B and heard the door buzz to be opened. Walked up the narrow stair to the second floor and started to smell and feel the humidity of the space as we got closer. For those who don't know how to approach abstract art like this, take it as a chance to be introspective and self-observant. Use all of your senses, observe how you feel, what you think, and what questions are raised for you. WTF, OMG, and SMH are all equally valid emotional responses. The fact that you HAVE a response- even if it's a confused one- is part of the experience. What might you think about when you look at a space full of dirt? - it feels humid in here, it must get watered - it smells kind of moldy, but it's not moldy - it looks textured as if it's raked regularly - how do they prevent things from growing - it seems filled in just to window height - does dirt get added over time - this has been here for 35 years - current rents on a space like this are crazy - did they build the smaller room as part of the space or was that there to begin with - how does the dirt affect the rest of the materials in the space Then you may start getting more esoteric: - it feels very much "alive" as if it is breathing, not static or stale - seems fluffy and fresh for an old pile of dirt - this artist has passed, but this dirt remains Luckily, there's always a museum attendant available to answer your questions and dialogue with about your musings- no matter how strange. (I only deducted a star because the elevator access doesn't seem to be readily available for exhibit visitors with physical limitations.)

A very cool place to check out if you are in the area looking for a truly unique free experience! The New York Earth room is exactly what you get. A HUGE room filled with a few feet of dirt. It's cool place offers many wonderful questions: Why was this place designed to have so much dirt? How did they get so much soil up so many flights of stairs? Why is there nothing planted in here? Does it represent the desolation of the modern man admits all the fast technology? Your gonna have to go and find out! I for one did not expect to feel or wonder so many things when going to such a simple place... after all it is JUST a huge room with "clean" dirt in it. BUT this is the kind of experience you look for when you go for an artistic experience(especially with abstract art). You go and let the environment captain you to a feeling. I went with my mother and she had a completely different experience... she felt it was a waste of time, effort, and money and worried if the soil was going to contain harmful pathogens for us to breath. For me THIS is the artistic value of coming here. Not only did it give such striking interpretations of discussion, it offers a nice window into who the person of interpretation is at the time of the experience. Overall I had a great experience and the whole journey was approximately 10-15 minutes. I highly recommend checking this place out! Quick and commitment free!

I came all the way down from Albany on a Trailways bus, just to see this magnificent room. It was worth every penny. As a dirt aficionado, the soil was of the finest quality, tilled to perfection, and smelled of the dashed hopes and dreams of my younger days. I see a fellow reviewer complained that "there was nothing growing [in the earth]," dare I say: are you looking for the PLANT room? This is clearly not the plant room. I don't go to McDonald's and review it, complaining, "there was no filet mignon on the menu." Come for the Earth. Love the Earth. F%$# plants.

We were excited to visit Soho and the wonderful art that it has to offer and the thoughts it provokes. This review based on my experience, feelings, and thoughts provoked on my attempt to see the Earth Room. NOT the Earth Room itself or its intent. Please visit if you are curious. What can a room filled with dirt offer you? You never know until you visit, see it, and feel it! Maybe I would get a new appreciation for life? Touch the dirt in hopes of having some emotional rush? Unfortunately, we never made it that far for the experience as excited as we were. Instead we got to meet the man who operated the floor that day, and also a lady who lived in the building. It was our first visit to Soho and we had just finished lunch. We were jolly and excited as we went looking for the Earth Room in Soho. The entrance to the earth room looks like a normal apartment except if you look closely you will see it along side with all the other apartment numbers. Having never rang one of these doorbells on a door for apartments, we were very nervous and little confused. Luckily, a women came out of the building, so we politely asked her how we would go about visiting the Earth Room. We were greeted with a grim stare. After a moment she mentioned we should probably ring the door bell. We followed her directions,but there was no answer. So we rang it a few more times obnoxiously. About five minutes after, a man came out causing the lady to react with an "oh". From her look and reaction we assumed he operated the floor so we proceeded to ask him politely. He completely ignored us as if we were a complete nuisance, and then finally reluctantly pointed to the plaque on the door never even once, making eye contact. Then the man and woman left us while making some small talk. The experience left us somewhat humiliated and confused. He had been incredibility rude, and I suppose in our excitement also have been inconsiderate to him as well. The experience tested all our tolerance and understanding, although it felt literally like a punch in the face and somewhat ruined our afternoon. The Earth Room was not worth returning for us. The Dirt Room had succeeded in making us feel like dirt.

FREE!! Saw this in the Lonely Planet Guidebook: NY Earth Room a room filled with moist dirt! We got there 3:25pm and had to wait, I think it's when the people maning the room go on lunch so sometimes they don't come back on time. You wouldn't want to either if that's all you did all day. We had 2 girls that came back about 3:35pm. Had to wait until they went up and then open the door for us. We had to take the stairs to the 2nd Fl. Sign said No Photography!! A room knee-high filled with just DIRT, nothing else. It was kinda interesting. No mold probably cuz of the paint & they check it daily or something like that. Worth checking out if in the area. Hrs: Wed-Sun 12-6pm, Closed from 3-3:30pm. Website: www.earthroom.org

Sometimes when friends come out of town you go the nine yards. Start early with a bougie brunch, hit up a couple museums and a couple parks, show them your favorite Chinatown hole-in-the-wall, barhop until you can no longer hop... And then sometimes the next day you're hungover and need to run errands and return a sweater so your plans for the day become "let's walk around in Soho" but it turns out that about 2 hours of capitalism are all you can take and you feel like a bad friend for taking your friend to a glorified mall instead of showing them New York's arts and culture. This is when the Earth Room comes in clutch. It's the ideal spot to pop in, breathe in some moist air, and feel like you actually are doing things. All the facts fit to whisper, because after all, it is a gallery: - It's by Walter de Maria, a conceptual, minimalist, and land artist (and a peer of the Spiral Jetty guy if you took Art History) - It's been at this location for 33 years - They change out the soil once a year (and the same guy has done it for 23 years! http://blog.openingceremony.com/entry.asp?pid=5798) - It's sponsored by the Dia Foundation, which also runs a small gallery in Chelsea and a big and impressive collection upstate There's a guy in the next room who will tell you a few similarly informative facts, but I usually avoid him and just stare at dirt for a few moments with my (confused, but not unhappy) visitor. No pictures allowed Sample discussion questions for after: why here, why dirt, where is the dirt from, is this art? Similar slices of culture in the neighborhood: The Broken Kilometer (a conceptual piece also by de Maria) and Dream House by MELA Foundation (Dia-associated installation with meditative sound and light). Not worth a trip downtown but definitely a worthy break.

Cool experience but you can't take a photo. The guy working the desk didn't seem too knowledgeable or friendly. He just directed us to read about it in the pamphlet. Interesting concept.

Be forewarned: this is a second-floor apartment with every room filled to thigh-level with dirt. There is one viewing alcove where you can admire aforementioned dirt. That is it. I rated it 3 because it's exactly as stated and I can't bash honest advertising. It remains a room of dirt though. I've been informed that it's best after they water it on Tuesdays, so maybe visit on Wednesday after they rake it as well. Ring buzzer 2B and walk up the stairs. It's free so maybe worth the visit, just make sure you know what to expect.

This should of been a one star review as some foundation is paying for an expensive space to house an apartment full of dirt. 20 years long? I love art but hard to call dirt art. The dirt is watered once a week to keep it wet. The three stars is it gave my husband and I a few laughs throughout our week stay in NYC.

Was it really worth checking it out? Not really. It truly is a bunch of dirt. I cant say that it was as great of an experience as others make it. Even though there are signs everywhere, its still not that clear to access it. I spent 2 minutes staring at the dirt and moved on with my life. The only real amusement I received was the fact that it existed (especially considering how expensive real estate is in Manhattan.)

Hit buzzer for 2B, ascend, inhale, enjoy, depart.

I walked in there by surprise had no idea about it and for a second I completely forgot about time and it change my views about space! Earth room

I think the Earth Room is a gigantic Rorschach test. Well done, De Maria. I don't have to describe the actual features of The Earth Room since previous reviewers make note of a lot of dirt. I was on Wooster St with my sister to check out a sample sale when my subconscious bookmarking mechanism poked me and reminded me that I was standing under several thousand pounds of Earth. Anyway, we decided to check it out. So what was my reaction? I can't share that information since my impression belies any... what? Well done, De Maria. I do not recommend visiting this place if you are in an inebriated or otherwise compromised state. There is a very long and steep flight of stairs. This is still SoHo, after all.

Look. In the middle of the busiest, fanciest city in America, at the center of its most fashionable neighborhood, taking up 3,600 square feet of some of the most expensive real estate on Earth, is a room. Filled uniformly 33 inches deep with rich, dark, damp dirt. And that room is guarded by a man. A man who... okay, whose exact name I've forgotten, but let's say Bill. TALK TO BILL. Bill has been guarding that dirt for the last fifteen years. He is the knight templar of the Earth Room. The zen guru of the Earth Room. Its swami. And Bill has a wife. If you go down the stairs, around the corner, and down a block, you can meet his wife. She's behind the desk at the Broken Kilometer, another Dia Art installation. She's been sitting there for the last twelve years. And if this confluence of these utterly astounding facts, together with the actual experience of a room so quiet and so calmly itself--itself being DIRT and nothing else--if these things don't break your skull open for a minute, well... you'll probably be happier visiting the nearest Pinkberry instead. No problem. It's not for everybody. I'd think that'd be most people, actually. But for the few people still reading and not already enjoying delicious green tea fro-yo: Five star experience. Not a doubt. Absurd. Hilarious. Beautiful. Holy.

Soil. Lots of soil. 280,000 lbs of it to be exact. Housed within a 3,600 sq. ft. residential space in SoHo for the last 30 years. I love ambitious, contemporary works but this was lost on me. The air was too dank and musty for me to full enjoy the experience. This is the last existing Earth Room after the other two in Germany shuttered. It's a unique, free experience that only takes a few minutes and is a quiet oasis from the hustle and bustle of the streets below. I wasn't inspired but you may be.

Not impressed. I went to see a pile of dirt on NY day and couldn't get in. I was rejected by a pile of dirt. #Ouch?? Website said you'd be open, but alas, you were not. Sign said you'd be open at 12... came back at 12.. and again at 1 PM. We made friends with the other earth room rejects...that's a positive. Overall, I'm disappointed in myself that I have been so deeply upset by a pile of dirt. I judge myself.

Let's get dirty! It's Free. In this city, we spend most of our lives standing on concrete, sitting on concrete and looking at...concrete. We visit our public parks to breath in organic aromas, shapes and textures. So, what would a trip to the park look like...indoors? Sure you could visit the Botanical Gardens' greenhouses. You could even bring home cut flowers to your living room. They're beautiful, but in their structure, they don't express the vibrant chaos of nature. For me, The Earth Room explores the unbridled and untamed beauty of nature...unleashed in a NYC apartment. Just as a river shapes the land, this apartment space shapes 250 cubic yards of sweet, sun-kissed top soil. When you visit, savor the quiet of the space. Close your eyes, and breathe in the warm notes of rich earth. It's like no other room in the city.

New York is known for many things, a lot of which doesn't always make sense, but we accept with open hearts and arms. Take, for example, a huge room in SoHo that has been filled with dirt since 1977. A room full of dirt that for me, existed 6 years before I did, and is still around. This is definitely one of those little gems that you should take out-of-towners to! There is definitely money to be made here. I mean, try betting someone that you can show them a room full of dirt, for free, amidst some of the most expensive real estate in the world!!

140 tons of dirt on a second floor flat await your questions and contemplation in SoHo. Exciting! 3,000+ sq. ft. of space, 2.5 feet deep in rich, moist dirt, and white walls. We were the only ones there... except for the friendly attendant. Us: Where did the dirt come from? Attendant: I don't know. The exhibit was built in the 80s. Us: How did they get 140 tons of dirt up here? Attendant: I don't know. Us: Hmm... Does the white wall jutting into the middle of the room represent people disrupting nature? Attendant: I don't know. Us: Why is the dirt wet? Attendant: A guy comes in once a week and waters it so it doesn't dry up and get dusty. Us: It looks like there are patterns in the dirt. Attendant: Yeah, sometimes the guy rakes patterns... I guess he gets bored. Ten minutes of your time and you may have a good story. Just don't take Kudzu seeds...

Worth a stop if you're in the SoHo area! Free, makes you ponder, and likely an experience that won't be forgotten even if you stop for only a couple of minutes. Had heard about this from NPR story. Crazy how it has been here for decades.

Only 4 stars? That says a lot about the culture of yelp's user base. While few truly understand this art piece, only a base level of sophistication is required to appreciate what Walter De Maria has done for us. People from all walks of life visit for many different reasons. Walk over and the Earth Room and admire this installation. Ten minutes is all that it takes to reshape your entire state of being; for no cost.

I went to every FREE cool thing I could find in NYC and this item definitely piqued my interest. Don't make the same mistake I did: the gallery that operates this loft is in Chelsea but the actual Earth Room is in SoHo. It also closes for a short period around lunch so don't walk up at 12:01pm with a big 'dirt'-eating smile on your face only to be wiped off after you've rung the buzzer 300 times and then realized they'll be back at 1pm. After you finally work your way through the technicalities, it's time to get in there and look at some dirt. Now, the actual dirt-filled loft is pretty cool - first of all, it smells so fresh and well Earthy and second, your mind delights in the math of the whole thing (how many SQ. FT. of dirt is this? How many feet high is it? Wow that's a lot of dirt! and other quantitative and qualitative statements like this will be firing in your brain like illegal fireworks on the 5th of July), and finally, you might even ponder the existential aspects of it. Lord knows, I didn't!

I had to see this just to experience the extravagant wastefulness of a dirt filled room in pricey Soho. I knew what to expect, but even then, it was disappointing. I guess the whole concept of it is mind boggling, like those art installations that consist of burning Hermes Birkin bags or smashing Iphones. It was just so plain and quiet. It was musky smelling and nothing was growing in the dirt. At least it was free. I think it'd be more interesting if they put in chairs or something - then people could go there more often and enjoy the solitude. But as an attraction, there's nothing attractive about it. Not even if you're in the area. If you're interested in Walter de Maria's work, you could go a couple blocks down to see The Broken Kilometer, which was much better looking in my opinion.

Hmm... honestly we don't know how many stars we should give this place... it's a room full of dirt... seriously... nothing here but just a guy who was watching the place & just dirt... tons of dirt... We just don't get it...

It's a room. Filled with dirt. But it's free. When my friend and I went we were the only two there. There was something special to be said about the silence and the presence created by the exhibit, and I think Interesting discussions could be discussed by the meaning and the ideas evoked by it. If it's a pain in the ass for you to get to soho, make sure you have other plans for the day if deciding to come and see this. I think it will take 20 minutes (tops) To view it.

When I walked into Earth Room, I seriously couldn't believe my eyes. Could this "gallery" really be just a room full of dirt? Once I realized that indeed that's all it was, I burst out laughing (how rude!) and nearly wet my pants running down the stairs (just a few drops). You see, I was one of four 50-year old women FROM VERMONT on our Women's Weekend in NY. The last thing we needed to see was a room full of dirt. Why did we go there? It was totally unintentional if you can believe that. You see, the Earth Room is not easy to stumble upon. It's tucked away on the second floor of a sleepy street in Soho. But for some reason "The Earth Room" was what Ann noticed on her iphone map when we exited the High Line and googled for a "nearby" gallery. Address in hand, we spent the better part of our day shopping and eating our way thru Greenwich Village. At 3, we decided we had better make a beeline for the Earth Room "before it closes." We wanted to have enough time to see everything. So after numerous wrong turns and conversations with Siri, we finally arrived at 141 Wooster at 3:20. We found it odd that they were closed from 3-3:30, but what the heck, we'd come this far. We shopped a bit more and came back 20 minutes later -- only to find a room full of dirt. I haven't laughed that hard in years. So you see, we really did make a significant effort to see this "gallery" without any inkling that it was quite literally an earth room. We see dirt all the time in Vermont! This was nothing special. So we tried to understand, why is this here? and how long has it been here? Is the only way NYers can experience what looks (and smells) like a freshly plowed garden? probably... So just when the four of us had gotten our giggles under control, another group exited the building. They were speaking in French, but then one said in perfect English, "Yes, it's such a simple statement...symbolizing the possibilities that can emerge from fertile ground...It's brilliant!" We lost it again. I'll probably go back to the Earth Room next time I'm in NY with my kids. In fact, I'm actually glad that I went. It got me thinking (which is what art is supposed to do). I'm glad some people consider this dirt to be art. It's nature's blank canvas. I just wish it wasn't restricted to a gallery in NYC. In Vermont, our communities are full of art!

Can a room of dirt warrant 5 stars? Depends on your state of mind -- I found the contrast between the shiny, smooth, white walls and the matte, textured, black earth surprisingly contemplative and memorable. It was also intriguing to hear that the caretaker, Bill Dilworth, has taken care of the dirt -- watering, etc. -- for 28 years... http://blog.openingceremony.com/entry.asp?pid=5798

Essentially, it's just a large room filled with soil. Yes, this room can be used as a residential, but it isn't. It's huge, dark, and the soil isn't damp. The Earth Room is hidden away in a small building that I had to look twice to find. Why does it get 5 stars? What's the deal with a large room filled with dirt? It's free, original, simple, and you know what? It smells GOOD, like fresh meadows. Something about its simplicity and quietness is entertaining and amazing. You know, only for a few minutes. Then I just have to leave (I was tempted to jump in. . . )

One of those only-in-New-York places. I don't know what to make of it, but I'm happy it exists and I'm glad I went. 5 stars for originality. That particular dirt has been there for 30 years, and the guy behind the desk has been taking care of the dirt (i.e. watering, raking) for 19 years. Kudos to him for job satisfaction!

The same artist did this room as the Broken Kilometer not too far away. This is kind of an interesting one. You have to find the building first and buzz in. Once you're in, you take the stairs up one floor and you'll go through an open door to reach an area with white walls. If you walk straight, there is a receptionist. If you turn right, you get to peer into a giant room that spans half a block and you can see windows on both sides, thin columns puncturing a thick layer of black soil. It feels like a tropical rain forest in here. I overheard that they water it regularly and churn the soil so it looks fresh. There must be so much soil in this room. A very interesting concept.

Stuart summed it up. This place should be an embarrassment. Instead it's a novelty to people apparently straining for things to do with their free time. Visiting this place is akin to watching someone burn hundreds of dollar bills before your eyes without even any political message, just because they can spare the money for such perverted kicks. This apartment purposely shelters no one, forcibly grows nothing. Meanwhile people, children are malnourished, homeless, really dirt-poor. Of course this is always an unfortunate fact of life but it's especially ironic while gazing at this monstrous waste. Folks get paranoid about being labeled a philistine for not embracing everything with the label "art" but a decadent expensive pile of shit is still just a pile of shit.

This is a room full of dirt. It looks like this: dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt So if you want to see that, go check it out. It has an interesting sound-muffling effect. I heard they sometimes churn up mushrooms when they're stirring the dirt or whatever. Also, it's free. Unique? Modern art is weird. So at least it's free. I'm giving it four stars to support the arts and also because it has very few four star reviews compared to five and three star reviews. That's, like, my own little artistic move. I am influencing the ratings chart on Yelp as a form of artistic expression. That's what I'm doing. The Earth Room is not open year-round or every day. Every time I try to take someone there, it's closed. Just my bad luck, not their fault, but you should check ahead of time if you actually want to go there on purpose. Maybe plan a trip to the Apple Store or something. Or bring a date there "randomly" and kiss her/him in front of the dirt. Just some ideas. Some folks bring their dogs. I don't care for the word "folks," but I'm trying to write with more variety. The Earth Room does not have variety. It just has dirt. See above for a preview.

"It's a room filled with dirt." "Do they grow things, like plants?" "No" It really is a room filled with dirt. When we were leaving, the guy at the desk said "YUP, it's just dirt."

Interesting exhibit in the heart of Soho Do visit. FYI - it's a quick pass-through feature a studio apt filled with earth (dirt/soil). Should be in and out in ~ 3-5 minutes.

Beautiful, unique & remarkable. Love the fact that almost everyone that experiences Walter De Maria--a founding father of minimalist and conceptual art--Earth Room agree with the New York Times: "The piece, which recreates one the artist first executed in Munich in 1968, exudes a slightly moist, muffling atmosphere and affords a sight so surreally, deliriously startling as to be simultaneously ridiculous and sublime." De Maria passed away earlier this year, his obit in the Times notes he played with Lou Reed in a precursor band to The Velvet Underground. Interesting guy! http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/27/arts/design/walter-de-maria-artist-on-grand-scale-dies-at-77.html?_r=0 As for the negativity about the fact that people are making and displaying art instead of feeding the poor (?!?) wonder if they look at all Cathedrals, Synagogues, Mosques and Churches (whose stated mission often actually is alleviating human suffering) and think of the colossal "waste" of money, time and real estate those edifices represent. It made me think of Genesis 3:19: By the sweat of thy brow shalt thou sustain thyself, till thou return to be buried in the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Yeah, I did it. I dragged my then boyfriend to SoHo to see the free room of dirt, barely marketed but when it is, advertised as art. I did have to deal with his raised eyebrow and inquisitive looks, but I did it all for the sake of an urban adventure and the expansion of my cultural capital. I'd do it again.

Hidden away on the second floor of a nondescript building in SOHO is The Earth Room, a studio apartment sized space filled with 280,000 lbs. of dirt. You're not allowed to walk on, sit in, or even photograph the dirt, but you can look at it. When I visit, I usually look at the dirt for about five minutes and then leave. Then I spend the rest of the day scratching my head and smiling.

Look no further for proof that the world is coming to an end! Or, look no further for proof that maybe there is hope for all of us! Either way, this place is a really big room, in a tony real estate space, and it's full of dirt. It makes no sense, I'm not sure I understand "art," but still I declare it awesome.

Very weird, but definitely unique. I mean, it's free. Stop by if you are in SoHo. I brought friends visiting from Miami. They have never seen anything like it!

I went back in January. It is a room of dirt. Quite a sight. Go in with no expectations and you will leave pleased. I was there on a Saturday and it had quite a lot of traffic. It is for sure a sensory experience. Going up the narrow staircase, the smell and anticipation.The location is also near some flagship stores.

My girlfriend and I went here as part of a date. We both appreciated how nice of a contrast it was to its otherwise opulent surroundings. My girlfriend took great delight in sniffing the soil, and liked it so much that she wanted to find a bracha (blessing) for it. We chose to bless it for its good smell, and we hope this will contribute to the installation's continued awesomeness.

Smells great, and is exactly the reprieve you need when walking around SOHO.

Man I tell ya, this place has some clean dirt. If you wear glasses they will fog up when walking in. Have the bored art student buzz you in, walk up the stairs, and look at damp dirt surrounded by white walls. If you are on heavy hallucinogenics you might enjoy it more.

Ok it is not amazing, but it is free and unique. It has tons of dirt in one of NYC most expensive real estate. Worth coming if you are near SoHo.

Far more of an experience than you imagine a large room full of dirt could be. Calming and contemplative. Go see it and be sure the check out The Broken Kilometer as well.

I'll admit I was skeptical but I was pleasantly surprised. Definitely worth a visit to fully understand. A truly calming and unique experience.