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Urban Center Books - CLOSED
Category: Shopping Books, Mags, Music and Video Bookstores Bookstores [Edit]
457 Madison Ave(between 50th St & 51st St)
New York, NY 10022
Neighborhood: Midtown East
(212) 935-3595
- Nearest Transit:
-
5 Av/53 St (E, M)
51 St (4, 6, 6X)
Lexington Av/53 St (E, M)
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
About This Business:
The Grossbard family is committed to maintaining their legacy of not simply the facet arrangement, but the vision of the diamond itself. Each Original… read more »
4 reviews for Urban Center Books
4 reviews in English
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Review from payton c.
Washington, DC
1/17/2008
Not the largest or most comprehensive architecture bookstore I've seen, but by far the best edited selection about urbanism around. Plus, it has a super-convenient location right in Midtown and benefits the MAS, which does yeoman's work in celebrating and advancing NYC's patrimony. The MAS usually has interesting exhibits about architecture in the room next door. The space toes the line between compact and cramped, but so does most of Manhattan.
As Sooj suspected, I've seen items here that I did not expect to find in the USA. -
Review from Michael D.
Forest Hills, NY
2/8/2009
The books on display here are like candy to me.
Not so much about architecture (although that topic is represented here) as about "urbanism," that category encompassing everything about cities, their histories, their culture, how they function. You might be surprised, for example, about how many books there are about "infrastructure," explaining how cities' plumbing, communications, streets, public transportation, etc. function.
A great place to find an unusual NYC guide book, either as a gift for a discriminating friend, or for yourself, to plan an off-the-beaten-path walking tour. The titles aren't limited to New York, though; there are lots of books about my second city, Los Angeles, and many other cities, too. -
Review from Sooj O.
New York, NY
2/11/2007
Oh, God. Just be prepared to spend lots of money if you should even step foot inside this bookstore. Everything is luscious eye-candy for anyone with the slightest interest in architecture.
Really, I don't know if there's much more to say about it. Architecture and books, lots of visuals, expensive books; oh, the bookstore is in a great building. I also recall seeing books in foreign languages, so they might ship in some specially from abroad.
I am a Shiegura Ban fan, and was ogling all the books they had on him. Just recalling those books now while writing this has me all aflush with desire.Listed in: The New York I knew and miss, Indy Bookstores, Bookstores NY
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Review from Jennifer S.
Brooklyn, NY
12/20/2008
I absolutely love Urban Center Books. It's beautiful with high ceilings and a very helpful staff. They do the coolest gift-wrapping and make my day every time I walk in. Plus the location in the Urban Center is a special treat. If this store doesn't have what you want, you probably aren't looking for a book on architecture, urbanism, or travel. Love live Urban Center Books!
Specialties
Specializing in architecture books, Urban Center Books also has a wide variety of books on urbanism, construction, sustainability, theory, landscape, horticulture, housing, interiors, typologies, construction, design, horticulture, regional architecture & guidebooks, DVD's, maps and more.
History
Established in 1980
Urban Center Books was started in 1980 as a project of the Municipal Art Society with a grant from the JM Kaplan Fund. Urban Center Books operated as a not-for-profit bookstore in the historic Villard Houses at 457 Madison Ave. since its inception to the Janurary 2010. It remains a vital part of the architecture and design communities of New York City and beyond. In 2009 the bookstore launched an exhibit and published the catalog, "Unpacking My Library" featuring the libraries and intellectual curiosities of New York Architects. Stay tuned for more exciting updates as we look for a new location for the store in mid-town Manhattan. And in the meantime shop online at www.urbancenterbooks.org.
