Barnes & Noble Founder's 720 Park Co-op Is for Sale

"Leonard Riggio, the founder of the Barnes & Noble chain who died last year, was born in Brooklyn, the son of a cabdriver, but he spent much of his adult life on Park Avenue in a four-bedroom co-op with a private elevator landing that opened onto a 35-foot-long galley lined with custom-built bookshelves. That apartment, at 720 Park Avenue, a classic and prestigious Upper East Side co-op designed by Rosario Candela, just hit the market, asking $17 million. Nikki Field and E. Helen Marcos, of Sotheby's International Realty, have the listing but could not comment as of press time."

"The apartment itself, designed by Peter Marino, has herringbone-patterned hardwood floors with intricate inlaid geometric detailing, high ceilings, a living room that measures nearly 20-by-30 feet, a formal dining room, a library with custom wood paneling, and, of course, a famously good Candela floor plan. Riggio and his wife, Louise, a journalist whom he met when she was sent to interview him for a college store trade publication, purchased the apartment long enough ago that the purchase price is not recorded in public records."

"The décor is surprisingly traditional for a Peter Marino apartment, but then it didn't need to be particularly showy, as the space was filled with spectacular art when the Riggios, also significant donors to Dia Beacon, lived there: Giacometti and David Smith sculptures as well as paintings by Mondrian, Picasso, and Magritte. The couple's $250 million art collection went up for auction at Christie's in May."

Leonard Riggio lived in a four-bedroom co-op at 720 Park Avenue, a Rosario Candela–designed Upper East Side building, now listed for $17 million. The apartment, designed by Peter Marino, features herringbone-patterned hardwood floors with inlaid geometric detailing, high ceilings, a nearly 20-by-30-foot living room, formal dining room, library with custom wood paneling, and a Candela floor plan. Riggio and his wife Louise purchased the unit decades ago and the original price is not public. Other notable residents have included Taki Theodoracopulos, Jamie Tisch, Randy Lerner, and Mark Magowan. The residence once housed a substantial art collection that later sold at auction.

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