It’s the end of an era for Victoria’s Empress Hotel.

The historic Victorian-era Bengal Lounge is shutting down for good at the end of April, according to the hotel.

Renovations have been underway at the iconic 107-year-old hotel for months, and upgrades will force its main dining room to operate in the Bengal Lounge while work is completed.

When the work is completed by April 30, the lounge will close indefinitely.

The hotel says it’s not yet sure what it will do with the 3,000-square-foot space, which is adorned with decorations reminiscent of colonial India including a jade fireplace and the skin of a Bengal tiger.

The lounge served as the reading and writing room at the Empress until 1954, when it became one of the first establishments in Victoria to acquire a liquor license.

Politicians from the nearby B.C. Legislature were often spotted there winding down in the leather armchairs with a drink.

Empress Hotel director of operations Cole Millen said he understands it’s hard for people to say goodbye to the iconic establishment, but it’s time for a change.

“We needed to create a sense of energy and vitality in the centre of the hotel,” he said. “We have a dining room that has not been as successful as we would like it to be, we have an afternoon tea lounge that has been phenomenally successful…but it only operates for five hours a day.”

He said the space will remain a vital part of the hotel in its new iteration.

“Admittedly, some people are going to be very sad to see the Bengal Lounge go, as are we,” he said. “But many people have also expressed great excitement over what’s coming.”

But many people aren’t ready to let go, and a Change.org petition has been launched to try to save the lounge.

The petition, started by Suzanne Johnston, states “the new owners of the Fairmont Empress are destroying its history and everything that this heritage landmark stands for.”

Johnston told CTV News she was “shocked” to learn the establishment would be shut down, and was inspired to try to do something about it.

“It’s starting to seem like they’re changing the whole hotel so it’s now modern, and that’s not what the Empress ever stood for,” she said. “It just seems like all the historical value is being taken from it…We’re not talking about a hotel, we’re talking about a Canadian historical landmark.”

The petition had received nearly 900 signatures Thursday afternoon.

The Empress Hotel was sold to real estate developer Nat Bosa in 2014 for an undisclosed amount, but its value has been assessed at nearly $90-million.