Joseph Canizaro, one of New Orleans’ most prominent commercial real estate developers, passed away on Friday at the age of 88 after experiencing a series of strokes.
Canizaro first gained industry attention when he developed the 276-foot Lykes Center in 1966 as the headquarters of the Lykes Bros. Steamship Co. – the property is now the Loews Hotel. His other notable projects included One Canal Place, a mixed-use complex featuring an office tower, a hotel and an upscale shopping center located adjacent to the French Quarter; the 32-story Texaco Center; the 23-story Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza (now Le Méridien New Orleans); the 36-story FirstBank Tower (now the BankPlus Tower); and the Information Technology Center Office Complex in the University of New Orleans Research and Technology Park.
Canizaro also served on the board of the Housing Authority of New Orleans and was a trustee and past Chairman of the Urban Land Institute, a member of Tulane University President’s Council, and the founder of the Committee for a Better New Orleans. Canizaro was also a generous philanthropist who supported educational and health care institutions, the former owner of the New Orleans Breakers football team in the ill-fated USFL, and a significant donor to Republican political candidates.
Former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial praised Canizaro as “one of the most influential and impactful New Orleanians of the past 50 years, and one of the most important business leaders in the city’s history.” US Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), recalled him as “a force of nature, with a heart as big as Lake Pontchartrain. I will miss him. We all will.”
Photo by Liz Jurey / Preservation Resource Center
