In 1942 Álavan sculptor Joaquín Lucarini was commissioned to put a large concrete tiger on top of the building.
The building was the headquarters of a timing belts company named “El Tigre” (“The Tiger”)
So it's a tiger, not a lioness as we had thought.
Now I just have to figure what "Alavan" is. (turns out Araba/Álava is a historically Basque province in Spain)