 Mr. Bob Fleming
Supervisor of Parish
Properties
parishproperties@stclaresi.com
Biography of
Denis "Bob" Fleming - Born June 08, 1919
Denis
"Bob" Fleming's education includes his
graduation from St. Peter's High School, S.I. in 1937
with an Academic Diploma. He attended Pratt (Evening)
Institute (1937-38) with courses in Engineering and
Advanced Mathematics. He graduated from Mechanics
Institute (Evening School) in 1948 (after a six year
interruption during ',World War II) with courses in
Architectural Drawing, Building Estimating and Building
Superintendent.
In 1946 he started a four year
apprenticeship with the Bricklayers, Masons and
Plasterers Local Union # 21, as a Bricklayer. He was a
partner in a Mason Building Company ( Dadswell &
Fleming ) from 1947-1951.
From 4/51 to 4/52 he was a
Bricklayer Foremen on the two million Dollars Boys
Dormitories and Gymnasium at Mount Loretto, S.I.
From 4/52 to 10/52 he was
Bricklayer Foreman on the two million Dollars
Microbiology Laboratory (Institute of Microbiology) at
Rutgers University, in New Jersey.
From 10/52 to 10/53 he was an
Assistant Superintendent on the two and a Half Million
Dollars "Men's Sport Center (Teague Hall) at Cornell
University in Ithaca, N.Y.
From 10/53 to 3/54 he was project
Superintendent on the Roskud Wing and alterations on the
Spellman Wing of St. Vincent's Hospital in New York,
From 3/54 to 5/55 he was an
Assistant Superintendent on the Hospital for Special
Surgery's Six Million Dollars Orthopedic Hospital for New
York Hospital of Cornell Medical College in New York.
From 5/55 to 3/56 he was Project
Superintendent on the Three Hundred Thousand Girl's
Dormitory and Gymnasium at Mount Loretto, Staten Island.
From 3/56 to 1/57 he was Project
Superintendent on the Four Hundred Thousand Dollar
Telephone Exchange in South Amboy, N.J.
From 1/57 to 6/57 he was Project
Superintendent on the One Million Dollar Two Story Grade
School for Our Lady Queen of Peace School, S.I.
From 6/57 to 5/58 he was Project
Superintendent on the Six Hundred Thousand, three story
Priest and Brothers Residence for the Pious Society of St
Paul, S.I.
From 5/58 to 7/59 he was Project
Superintendent on the One Million one hundred Thousand
Church and School Addition for St. Clare's, S.I.
From 8/59 to 8/61 he was Project
Superintendent on the Twenty- Five Million, 24 story
Office Building (Prudential Tower Bldg,) Newark, N.J.
From 8/61 to 1/64 he was Project
Superintendent on the Six Million Dollar, Six story
addition to the existing hospital and nursing home at
Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville, N.Y.
From 1/64 to 9/65 he was Project
Superintendent on the Six Million Dollar - Twelve Grades
Colonial Type School for Princeton Day School in
Princeton, New Jersey.
From 9/65 to 1/67 he was Project
Superintendent on the Seven Million Dollar Project
including three buildings, Administration, Fine Arts and
Lecture Hall Center for Geneseo State University,
Geneseo, N.Y.
From 1/67 to 10/68 he was Project
Superintendent on the Fifteen million Dollar -- 24 Story
Office Building, New York Tower.) in New York.
From 10/68 to 3/69 he was Project
Superintendent on the Fifteen Million Dollars -- 14 Story
Hospital and Laboratory of the Massachusetts General
Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
From 3/69 to 11/71 he was Project
Superintendent on the Eleven Million Dollars Paint
Facility Addition to the General Motors Assembly Division
in Farmingham, Massachusetts.
From 11/71 to 4/72 I was
Assistant Project Superintendent on the Twenty Million
Dollars Office and Shop Facility for Western Electric Co.
College Point, N.Y.
From 4/72 to 10/73 I was Project
Manager on the Seven and a Half Million -- 300 Bed
Nursing Home for Carmel Richmond Nursing Home, S.I.
From 10/73 to 7/79 I was Project
Manager on the Twenty-Three Million Dollars Upgrading of
the Jamaica Water Pollution Control Plant in Jamaica, New
York.
From 7/79 to 7/81 I was Project
Manager on the Two Million Dollar Phase A Alteration in
Preparation for the Fifty-One Million Dollar Hospital
Pavilion for Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y.
From 7/81 - 12/81 he was an Area
Superintendent on the Ramada Tropicana Hotel/Casino on
the Two Hundred Million Dollars Eight Story Bldg in
charge of the site works and rebuilding of the Boardwalk
in Atlantic City, N.J.
On Dec. 31, 1981 Bob
Fleming-retired from active Construction work. Bob
Fleming became a self-employed Construction Consultant.
From 2/85 to 12/85 on a three story bldg for Nabisco Corp
in East Hanover, N.J.
From 1/86 to 7/87 consultant on a
Sixty Two Million Dollar - 36 Story Blvd for N.Y.
Hospital in Manhattan, N.Y.
In 1985 Rev. Joseph Murphy was
assigned as Pastor of St. Clare's Parish and in 1989 I
volunteered to be the Supervisor for Parish properties
for St. Clare's.
In October 1957 in preparation
for the start of the construction of the new St. Clare's
Church and School Addition, the original Colonial Type
Church had to be relocated. Monsignor Flannagan, the
current Pastor, was able to obtain additional property
located to the south of the present campus, adjacent to
the Church property.
Monsignor Flannagan asked me to
organize a volunteer group of carpenters, laborers and
bricklayers and direct them to form a stepped footing for
concrete and build an eight inch concrete block
foundation for the relocated chapel building. The
volunteer crew worked on Saturdays and Sundays and
completed the foundation for the church.
The Church was moved by a professional mover and it was
ready in the Spring of 1958 for the contractor to
grade-off with the excavated dirt from the Church/school
to level off around the relocated chapel and form a
parking lot area. Bob Fleming in 1992 made a VCS, tape of
St. Clare's Memories which included pictures and the
history of all the buildings of the parish, up to that
time.
Bob Fleming's first project as
Supervisor for Parish Properties was in 1990 when
Monsignor Murphy approved the construction of the Father
Hicks Center. Bob Fleming worked with the Architect on
the design of the center and acted as the owners rep
during the construction. The center was completed and
dedicated on Sept. 1992. The first floor in the Cardinal
Cooke Center was completely gutted and rebuilt for a
state of the art "Pre-School Area. This project was
completed in 1999.
The next project received the
approval of Msgr Murphy was the "Pathway of
Prayer". This "Off the Street Loop" was
designed to park cars for funerals and weddings off the
busy Nelson Ave and avoided a dangerous condition. It was
a two-fold project with the sidewalk area used for
inscribed bricks for parishioners to dedicate for their
loved ones. In 2002 work was performed to restructure the
foundation of the Chapel. In 2004, with the help of
grants, work was completed and the chapel basement was
dedicated "Adult Faith Formation center" in
Sept 2004. In the past two decades many major changes has
been made to the buildings of St Clare's Campus. The work
is too many to list and there are plans, for the future,
for many more improvements, like additional parking, more
sidewalk area for inscribed bricks for the "Pathway
of Prayer" and many more.
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