The Antiguo Palacio Federal is one of Monterrey's best surviving Art Deco buildings. Designed by Augusto Petriccioli and completed in 1929, it still has the strong facade, carved frieze, and civic scale of the old federal offices.
The restored building now operates as LABNL, a public workshop and cultural space. The observation tower is the extra reason to go: it gives a free look across the centre from a building many visitors otherwise walk past.