Palacio Fuentes

Commissioned by Mr. Juan Fuentes and designed by Architect Juan B. Durand, the construction was in charge of the company Enrique Ferrarese Hnos. y Cia. It marked a milestone in the city as the first reinforced concrete building.

Its facade features an imposing dome in Italian Renaissance style with descending levels and topped by a weathervane representing a hand plow. The 213 feet-high dome includes a clock that has an overall diameter of 6.5 feet, whose chimes emulate the sound of the emblematic Big Ben in London. It is worth mentioning that when the dome’s lantern was lit, it functioned as a big lighthouse, since it could be seen from more than 9 miles away.