The Broken Kilometer (1979), located at 393 West Broadway in New York City, is composed of 500 highly polished, round, solid brass rods, each measuring two meters in length and five centimeters (two inches) in diameter. The 500 rods are placed in five parallel rows of 100 rods each. The sculpture weighs 18 3/4 tons and would measure 3,280 feet if all the elements were laid end-to-end. Each rod is placed such that the spaces between the rods increase by 5mm with each consecutive space, from front to back; the first two rods of each row are placed 80mm apart, the last two rods are placed 570 mm apart. Metal halide stadium lights illuminate the work which is 45 feet wide and 125 feet long.

This work is the companion piece to De Maria's 1977 Vertical Earth Kilometer at Kassel, Germany. In that permanently installed earth sculpture, a brass rod of the same diameter, total weight and total length has been inserted 1,000 meters into the ground.

The Broken Kilometer has been on long-term view to the public since 1979. This work was commissioned and is maintained by Dia Art Foundation.

Hours
Wednesday–Sunday, 12–6 pm 

Closed 3–3:30 pm daily 

Closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day 
 
Admission 
Admission is free  

Photography is not permitted.

The Broken Kilometer has additional health and safety protocols in place due to COVID-19. For more information please read our visitor guidelines.

Art: The Broken Kilometer, 1979

Visiting The Broken Kilometer
Please form a queue for admission; a maximum of four visitors permitted in the building at any one time.

Visitors are asked to refrain from entering if, over the last fourteen days, they have had symptoms of or tested positive with COVID-19 or been in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19. 

Visitor Guidelines

• Be considerate of fellow visitors and staff
• Face covering required for all visitors over the age of two
• Social distancing is required; social-distancing markers are in place at the visitor entrance
• No food or beverages permitted in the galleries
• No large bags permitted in the galleries
• High-touch surfaces are cleaned throughout the day following CDC guidelines
• Use of hand sanitizer is required upon entry
• Visitors should practice good hygiene by coughing or sneezing into their elbows; tissues should be disposed of immediately; please wash hands for at least twenty seconds
• A no-touch or low-touch visitor experience will be provided; artist information is available online via QR codes and entry doors opened by staff or propped open
• Staff is required to pass a health monitoring questionnaire each day prior to coming on-site and is required to wear face coverings within Dia's spaces
• Dia will cooperate with local and state authorities to provide contact information as required for contact tracing

In the interest of your personal safety and the community’s health, Dia requires that all visitors observe the precautions listed above. We reserve the right to request that visitors who are not following these guidelines leave the premises.

An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. By visiting Dia’s sites, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19.

Walter De Maria was born in Albany, California, in 1935. He died in Los Angeles in 2013.

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