The demolition of a former library and landmark building dating back 100 years is being torn down in Bridgeport despite a petition drafted to stop it.

Crews began tearing down the former Sanborn Library building on Fairfield Avenue Thursday.

More than 800 people signed a petition to save the building, but the prospective buyer of the property calls it a blighted hazard.

Managing Director of the Nest Art Factory Jane Davila works across from the building and she says is worried the area will lose its historical significance.

"It’s the first thing you see when you turn off into the highway into the West End and now it’s not going to be here and you are going to see the back of a shopping center as you pull off the highway… that’s a terrible way to present Bridgeport and how people are going to approach downtown from this direction," Davila says. 

The new owner is expected to request a zoning change so that the property can be converted into a retail space.