A century-old building has been saved from the wrecking ball, thwarting past efforts from its owner to replace it with a parking lot.

On Wednesday, representatives of Catfish Queen LLC — the operators of the Belle of Baton Rouge casino — withdrew their appeal effort for the demolition of the Maritime II building.

East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council members were set to make a decision themselves on the matter, but casino officials decided to end the their fight just prior to the public meeting Wednesday afternoon, much to the delight of advocates who’ve fought the demolition efforts for months.

“I’m just so grateful,” said a choked up Boo Thomas, one of the half dozen preservation advocates at Wednesday’s meeting.

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