Rizzoli Bookstore
A New York City bookstore recognized for its carefully selected art, architecture, design, photography, illustrated, and foreign-language titles.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Rizzoli Bookstore is a New York City general-interest bookstore with a particularly strong identity in art, architecture, photography, design, illustrated books, and foreign-language publishing. Founded by Angelo Rizzoli in 1964, the store developed as the retail expression of the broader Rizzoli publishing tradition and became known not only for its inventory but also for the architectural character of its premises. Its first location, at 712 Fifth Avenue, combined a prominent Manhattan address with marble floors, oak paneling, chandeliers, and interiors designed by Ferdinand Gottlieb. That environment helped establish the store as a destination for readers, collectors, designers, and visitors interested in books as both cultural objects and practical resources. The business expanded beyond its original Manhattan location during the 1970s and 1980s. Rizzoli opened branches in cities including Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles-area communities, San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, Washington, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. It also acquired Scribner's Bookstore on Fifth Avenue in 1984 and operated additional New York locations, including stores in SoHo and the World Financial Center. Most of the national branch network was closed by 2001, leaving the New York flagship as the central expression of the brand. Rizzoli moved from Fifth Avenue to 31 West 57th Street in 1985, where it occupied three floors of a former Sohmer Piano Company showroom. The 57th Street location became especially associated with the store's visual atmosphere and cultural status. It appeared in films and television productions, including Manhattan, Falling in Love, True Story, and Seinfeld. The location closed on April 11, 2014, after its lease expired. The building's planned demolition prompted objections from customers, preservationists, and commentators who argued that the bookstore and its interiors had cultural and architectural value. The retailer reopened on July 27, 2015, at 1133 Broadway in the St. James Building in Manhattan's NoMad district. The current store is positioned as a curated destination rather than a mass-market bookseller. Its selection emphasizes visually rich and specialist-oriented categories while retaining general-interest coverage and international titles. Rizzoli has also tested smaller, focused formats, including a food-and-drink shop inside Eataly opened in 2010 and a fashion, design, entertaining, interiors, travel, and New York selection at Saks Fifth Avenue opened in 2012. Corporate control is connected to the Rizzoli publishing group. Rizzoli International Publications is the bookstore's direct parent, while the broader books business became part of Arnoldo Mondadori Editore after Mondadori acquired RCS Libri and Rizzoli International Publications from RCS MediaGroup in 2015. Following the subsequent reorganization of the former RCS books businesses, the bookstore and Rizzoli International Publications were associated with Mondadori Electa S.p.A. Rizzoli Bookstore remains an active New York retail institution whose differentiation rests on curation, subject expertise, visual presentation, and its relationship to the Rizzoli publishing name.
History
Rizzoli Bookstore was established in New York City in 1964 by Angelo Rizzoli. Its original location at 712 Fifth Avenue placed the business in one of Manhattan's most prominent retail corridors. The building, designed by Albert S. Gottlieb in 1907, drew on the classical appearance of nineteenth-century Parisian town houses. Angelo Rizzoli commissioned Ferdinand Gottlieb to design the store's interiors, creating a setting distinguished by marble floors, oak paneling, and chandeliers. The combination of a specialized inventory and a highly designed environment helped make the store a destination beyond ordinary book retail. The store's early development was connected to the wider Rizzoli publishing and cultural enterprise. Gianfranco Monacelli, who later became president and chief executive of Rizzoli Publications before founding Monacelli Press in 1994, began working at the Fifth Avenue shop as a night clerk in 1965. During the 1960s, art collector and investment manager Roberto Polo also worked part-time at Rizzoli while studying at Columbia University. As director of the Rizzoli Gallery, Polo organized the exhibition Fashion as Fantasy, reflecting the store's relationship with art, design, and visual culture. Rizzoli expanded its physical retail network in the 1970s and 1980s. A Chicago store opened at Water Tower Place in 1976, followed by branches in a number of major American cities, including Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, Washington, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and several California markets. In 1984, the company acquired Scribner's Bookstore on Fifth Avenue and opened other New York locations in SoHo and the World Financial Center. The Scribner's flagship continued under Rizzoli ownership until it closed in 1989. In 1985, the main Rizzoli Bookstore moved to 31 West 57th Street. The new premises occupied three floors of a former Sohmer Piano Company showroom and were renovated by H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture. The earlier Fifth Avenue building and the neighboring Coty Building faced demolition plans connected to a proposed skyscraper, although both were ultimately designated city landmarks. Rizzoli's 57th Street store became the best-known modern home of the brand and was used as a setting in films and television programs, including Manhattan, Falling in Love, True Story, and Seinfeld. The company substantially reduced its national retail presence, closing most locations outside New York by 2001. It subsequently experimented with smaller, category-focused outlets. In 2010 it opened a boutique inside Eataly with nearly 400 books about food and drink. In 2012 it opened a Saks Fifth Avenue shop offering a narrower selection focused on fashion, design, entertaining, interiors, special travel destinations, and New York. The West 57th Street store closed on April 11, 2014, when its lease ended. The LeFrak Organization and Vornado Realty Trust, which had owned the property since 2006, planned to demolish the bookstore building and two neighboring buildings. Customers and preservationists opposed the loss of the site. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission declined to grant landmark protection, reasoning that the interior dated from 1985 and that insufficient original material remained from the earlier structure. The closure and the preservation decision received criticism, including from the editorial board of The New York Times. Rizzoli reopened on July 27, 2015, at 1133 Broadway in the St. James Building. The store's current location is associated with the NoMad district and later became a feature of the NoMad Piazza pedestrian area created through New York City's Open Streets initiative. Corporate ownership also changed during this period. In 2015, Arnoldo Mondadori Editore acquired RCS Libri and Rizzoli International Publications from RCS MediaGroup. In 2016, the former RCS Libri structure was reorganized, and Rizzoli International Publications and Rizzoli Bookstore became associated with Mondadori Electa S.p.A., a Mondadori subsidiary. The retailer continues to operate as a specialist-oriented New York bookstore under the Rizzoli name.
- 2016
Post-acquisition corporate reorganization
[1]The former RCS Libri structure is dismantled, with Rizzoli International Publications and Rizzoli Bookstore associated with Mondadori Electa S.p.A.
- 2015
NoMad bookstore opens
[1]Rizzoli reopens at 1133 Broadway in the St. James Building on July 27.
- 2015
Mondadori acquires Rizzoli International Publications
[1]Arnoldo Mondadori Editore acquires Rizzoli International Publications and related books businesses from RCS MediaGroup.
- 2014
West 57th Street store closes
[1]The flagship closes after its lease expires amid controversy over the planned demolition of the building.
- 2010
Eataly boutique opens
[1]Rizzoli launches a smaller retail format inside Eataly focused on food- and drink-related books.
- 2001
National retail network is substantially reduced
[1]Most Rizzoli locations outside the flagship New York store are closed.
- 1985
Move to West 57th Street
[1]The flagship relocates to a renovated, three-floor former Sohmer Piano Company showroom at 31 West 57th Street.
- 1984
Scribner's acquisition and additional New York stores
[1]Rizzoli acquires Scribner's Bookstore on Fifth Avenue and opens further locations in SoHo and the World Financial Center.
- 1976
Chicago expansion
[1]Rizzoli opens a store at Water Tower Place in Chicago, beginning a broader period of national retail expansion.
- 1965
Gianfranco Monacelli begins work at the store
[1]Gianfranco Monacelli starts as a night clerk before later becoming an executive in Rizzoli publishing and founding Monacelli Press.
Products and positioning
A premium, culturally oriented independent-style bookstore and destination retailer serving readers, collectors, creative professionals, and visitors seeking specialist and visually distinctive books.
Books
Art books
Rizzoli's art selection is part of the store's core specialist identity. It includes visually rich books intended for general readers, collectors, students, and practitioners, with the bookstore's presentation emphasizing the relationship between publishing, exhibitions, and visual culture.
Books
Architecture and design books
Architecture and design titles form a central part of the retailer's curated offer. These books serve both professional and enthusiast audiences and complement Rizzoli's reputation as a destination for interiors, buildings, objects, and visual form.
Books
Photography books
Photography books are included among Rizzoli's principal illustrated categories. The selection reflects the store's broader focus on image-led publishing and supports readers interested in photographers, visual archives, exhibition-related books, and photographic practice.
Books
Foreign-language titles
Foreign-language books distinguish Rizzoli from a conventional general bookstore and reflect its international publishing orientation. These titles are part of the store's broader service to cosmopolitan New York readers and visitors.
Specialty retail selection · 2010
Food and drink selection
The Eataly boutique introduced a focused selection of nearly 400 titles related to food and drink, adapting the Rizzoli format to a specialist retail environment and a clearly defined subject audience.
Specialty retail selection · 2012
Fashion, interiors, travel, and entertaining selection
The Saks Fifth Avenue shop offered a compact, curated group of books covering fashion, design, entertaining, interiors, distinctive travel destinations, and New York. It extended the bookstore's subject expertise into a department-store setting.
Brand decisions
2015
Relocation to the NoMad districtStrategyBackground
Following the loss of the West 57th Street premises, Rizzoli needed a new flagship location in Manhattan.
Action taken
The bookstore reopened at 1133 Broadway in the St. James Building on July 27.
Aftermath
The new store preserved Rizzoli's New York flagship role and became associated with the NoMad Piazza pedestrian area.
2015
Acquisition by the Mondadori groupM&ABackground
Rizzoli International Publications and related books businesses were sold by RCS MediaGroup.
Action taken
Arnoldo Mondadori Editore acquired RCS Libri and Rizzoli International Publications.
Aftermath
The bookstore became indirectly controlled through the Mondadori group and was later associated with Mondadori Electa S.p.A.
2014
Closure of the West 57th Street flagshipStrategyBackground
The store's lease expired while the property owners planned redevelopment and demolition of the building and adjoining structures.
Action taken
Rizzoli closed the West 57th Street location on April 11.
Aftermath
The closure generated public opposition and preservation criticism before the retailer reopened at a new Broadway location in 2015.
2010
Launch of an Eataly specialty boutiqueStrategyBackground
Rizzoli sought to use smaller retail formats to reach customers in complementary cultural and lifestyle environments.
Action taken
The bookstore opened a boutique inside Eataly with a selection focused on food and drink.
Aftermath
The format demonstrated a category-specific extension of the Rizzoli retail concept.
2001
Consolidation around the New York flagshipStrategyBackground
After operating a multi-city American store network, Rizzoli closed most of its national locations.
Action taken
The company concentrated its physical retail presence primarily on the flagship New York bookstore.
Aftermath
The decision reinforced Rizzoli's identity as a destination bookstore rather than a nationwide chain.
Sources1 sources
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