1903-1976
Napoleone Floreani was born 21 July 1903 in Vendoglio, Udine, one of 6 children of Luigi Floreani and Felicita Moretti. He arrived in South Australia on the 'Re D'Italia' on 18 January 1927, and almost immediately began his own one-man business making cement wash troughs and verandah columns. Soon he began manufacturing terrazzo products, and was one of the first to promote this material for domestic and public buildings.
In 1937 Nap married Elvira Barduca, daughter of migrants from the Veneto region. In the same year he was joined by his brother Renato to form Floreani Brothers, which was eventually based at Brompton. It was the first company to produce terrazzo tiles in South Australia.
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Napoleone Floreani (with Italian Vice Consul) receiving Gold Medal
from Italian Chamber of Commerce Adelaide 1971
The company was also responsible for the exposed aggregate wall panels seen on schools and shopping centres throughout SA. Large and prestigious work done by Floreani Brothers includes Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Royal Adelaide Hospital and the Hilton Hotel.
In 1957 the company started the first pre-stressed concrete plant in SA on Grand Junction Road, Gepps Cross. Constress has continued to be at the forefront in building technology in this State and in the Eastern States of Australia. During the 60s the majority of work involved pre-stressed concrete beams and slabs for bridges, car parks and multi-storey buildings such as Blanchetown Bridge, Morphett St Bridge and Grenfell St and Charles St Car parks. From the 70s the company has been producing architectural pre-cast concrete facades for many of the multi-storey buildings here and in the Eastern States, such as the Sheraton Hotel in Brisbane and Esso Headquarters in Melbourne.
In the 1980s Constress imported polishing machinery to cater for the fashion for polished granite facades. Recent projects include the ASER Development, Westfield Shopping Centre (Marion), City West Campus and the Migrant Monument Museum at Campbelltown. The site at Hawkers Rd Brompton was sold in 1995, marking the end of almost 40 years of Floreani Bros Terrazzo at that address.
The remaining operations were transferred to Constress at Gepps Cross. This company has been managed by Nap's sons, originally by Leo, an engineer, and now by Brian, an accountant. At times the companies have employed up to 100 men, mainly of Italian origin.
Napoleone Floreani came from the region of Friuli and was the first president of the Fogolar Furlan Club when it was officially formed in 1959, and remained actively involved until his death on 13 November 1976. He sponsored many emigrants from Friuli finding them accommodation and offering them work as skilled 'terrazzisti'. In 1973 he received a Gold Medal awarded by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in recognition of service to Italian Migrants.
