Joseph C. Canizaro: A Builder of Banking, Sky Scrapers, and Faith

By David Waldron Anderson

New Orleans lost one of its true builders recently with the passing of Joseph C. Canizaro. His name may not be on the skyline, but his fingerprints surely are. And more than that, his legacy runs through the families he quietly helped, the church he faithfully supported, and the city he helped shape.

Joe’s story was classic New Orleans grit with a Sicilian edge. Born into a large Catholic family, with roots stretching back through Mississippi to Sicily, he built his own path. He began as a property manager, learning the nuts and bolts of real estate before turning into one of the city’s most ambitious developers. Where others saw open lots, Joe saw towers. On Poydras Street, he put up three or four skyscrapers that still anchor the business district today.

But he didn’t stop at real estate. During the turbulent 1980s, when the federal government was auctioning off failed banks, Joe saw opportunity. He pulled together the capital to buy First Bank & Trust and spent the next decades guiding it through highs and lows. There were challenges, one key executive decision set the bank back seven years, but Joe worked through it and came out stronger. In the end, he built a valuable institution, created wealth for his family, and left a lasting stake in the community. His grandson continues to serve on the bank’s board, a testament to the continuity Joe believed in.

What set Joe apart wasn’t just his business instinct. He was larger than life in personality, confident in his decisions, and relentless in focus. Yet he was also a man of faith. I came to know him best during his years building the bank, when he brought me in to run his trust department. At that level, I saw the dual engines that powered Joe: an obsession with detail and a deep Catholic faith.

He often told me that he never worried about outcomes. Deals could go his way or not, fortunes could rise or fall, but he carried none of the fear that burdens so many in business. Why? Because he believed God would work it out. That trust freed him, and it gave him the courage to keep building.

That same faith inspired his generosity. Joe was never a man to put his name on buildings or trumpet donations. Quietly, every year, he helped as many as 100 families pay Catholic school tuition. He understood the value of faith based education and wanted to give children the chance to have it. Beyond that, he gave millions to the Catholic Church, not for grandeur, but to strengthen the experience of worship and build community.

For those of us who knew him, Joe left lessons that go far beyond business. Success, he showed, is not only measured in buildings or balance sheets but in faith, family, and legacy. A man truly succeeds when his influence passes to his children and grandchildren, when his generosity shapes the lives of those who never even knew his name, when his city is better for his having lived in it.

That was Joe Canizaro. A builder of towers, yes. A builder of a bank, certainly. But more than that, a builder of faith, of family, of a life that will be remembered for its depth as much as its height.

Hats off to Joseph C. Canizaro Thank you for your friendship, your guidance, and your example. New Orleans is better because you were here.