The Pilates Studio at Henri Bendel
Geraldine Stutz was a pioneer businesswoman and extremely creative thinker. In the 1950’s she was Vice President of I. Miller Shoes where she helped launch Andy Warhol. From there she was hired as president of the failing Henri Bendel department store and was given three years to make it profitable. By 1964, Henry Bendel had experienced a 10 percent increase in sales, the largest increase in its history. By 1967, it had doubled its sales. Also in 1967, with financing from an international consortium, Stutz purchased Bentel for 8 million dollars, becoming its managing partner and 30 percent owner.
During her time at Henri Bendel, Geraldine Stutz took risks and did things that had never before been done in department store history. She invented the idea of a “Main Street of shops” on the first floor of the store, which gave new designers small “store fronts” to sell their wares, many becoming famous during and afterwards, such as Ralph Lauren and Perry Ellis.
Another totally unique idea she had was to put a pilates studio on the top floor next to the hair salon. Joseph Pilates oversaw its installation, and it was run by Naja Cori before Kathy Grant took it over.
This 1960s article mentions the Henri Bendel studio, and depicts Allegra Kent on the ladder barrel and reformer that Joe Pilates had installed within the salon. Interestingly, the article calls the Reformer “The Apparatus,” which Carola Trier was also known to have called the Reformer. Image first shared on 2/18/24.
This famous article about the beginning of the Henri Bendel’s Pilates Studio shows Joseph Pilates sitting on a Wunda Chair outside the department store while the other apparatus is being carried in. Shown in the photo is a Cadillac bed, Ladder Barrel, and what looks to be a long box. We know that the apparatus in the Henri Bendel’s studio was wood, not metal, although at this point in time Joe was using metal for his own equipment in his studio. History points to 1960-61 as the year that Joe switched to metal for his equipment at 939 8th Ave. Images first shared on 7/1/21.
Image first shared on 3/26/21.
A very rare advertisement for Henri Bendel, which shows the figure at the top, implying that there’s a place to exercise on the top floor- which we know was the pilates studio! Image first shared on 4/7/21.
If you’re curious as to what the hair salon next to the pilates studio at Bendel’s looked like, this is it. Image first shared on 4/7/21.
A clip from an article about places to work out in New York that mentions Kathy Grant at Bendel’s. Image first shared on 4/7/21.
An article that mentions the original Pilates Studio as well as the Bendel’s Studio. Image first shared on 7/22/22.
A rare article that covers Naja Corey’s time at the pilates studio at Bendel’s. Image first shared on 5/6/21.
This series of exercises comes from Kathy Grant while she was running the Henri Bendel’s Studio in the 1970s. The model in the photos is Wendy Amos, who was a protégé of Kathy Grant at the Henri Bendel’s studio and who still teaches today.
Image first shared on 12/20/24.
This rare article talks about a special that the Henri Bendel studio ran for getting a massage with Leslie Day and taking a pilates lesson with Kathy Grant. Image first shared on 8/22/23.
The only vintage pilates article I know of at this point in time that discusses Ron Fletcher and Kathy Grant in that same article. Image first shared on 8/22/23.
Tags: Ron Fletcher
Robert Fitzgerald and Alberto Vecchio at The Kenneth Beauty Salon Studio
Another Pilates History Research Archive™ Discovery!
In 1965, Joseph Pilates opened a pilates studio inside the famous, cutting edge Henri Bendel Department store in New York City. It was located next to the salon on the top floor.
Through my research I discovered another pilates studio in New York City that was open in the 1960s BEFORE the Henri Bendel’s studio! It was inside a different hair salon that was also very famous at the time, The Kenneth Beauty Salon.
Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Onassis were known to have their hair done by Kenneth, and this salon was very well publicized at the time. From these two grainy photos, we can see that this salon had at least a junior reformer that resembled the ones that Carola Trier had inside her studio, a small barrel, a Cadillac, and a raised mat. If you look carefully at the reformer, you’ll recognize the handles as the same ones that Carola used as well.
One of these photos shows Robert Fitzgerald teaching on the reformer, and Alberto Vecchio teaching on a small barrel and raised floor mat. There appears to be some additional apparatus around him.
Its amazing to now know of another studio that during Joe’s lifetime that existed in NYC. Not only that, but this studio pre-dates the Henri Bendel studio as a studio that existed within someone else’s business and in conjunction with a salon.
While we know for sure that Joe Pilates directed the opening of the Bendel studio, its not clear if the Kenneth Salon studio had a direct connection to Joe. Perhaps these teachers opened a studio without him?
Either way, what a super cool research find! Enjoy!!
Images first shared on 2/3/24.
Related Topics: Other Contrology Teachers