Carreras Cigarette Factory

The building ahead of you is known as the Black Cat Factory, a name earned by the two eight-and-a-half-foot-tall bronze cats that watch over its entrance. These statues serve as a tribute to the company logo, which was inspired by a real black cat that famously napped in the window of the original tobacco shop. When the factory opened in nineteen twenty-eight, the company leaned heavily into this identity, transforming the surrounding street into a spectacle. They spread sand across the pavement to mimic the Egyptian desert and even organized chariot races down the road to celebrate the launch of their new headquarters.