BATON ROUGE - The Belle of Baton Rouge casino has withdrawn its application to demolish downtown's historic 'Catfish Town' building to make way for a parking lot. 

Executives for the Downtown Development District and Historic Preservation Commission opposed the proposition, saying the 100-year-old building is too much of an asset. 

The Downtown Development District shared the following statement Wednesday: 

“We applaud the Belle of Baton Rouge for withdrawing their application/appeal to demolish the 100+ year old Maritime II building. The group of downtown citizens and leaders that came together to advocate and preserve our cultural and historic identity are to be commended. We appreciate the leadership of District 10 Councilperson, Carolyn Coleman," Citizens for Downtown Progress said.

“We look forward to working with the citizen group and the Belle of Baton Rouge in their efforts to envision a project that aligns with downtown’s master plans and exploring available historic tax credits," Whiney Hoffman Sayal, Downtown Development District, Executive Director said.