It was built in 1804–07 to Quarenghi's austere Greek Revival design, one of his last commissions.
The Manege is a low, rectangular block with arched openings and lunettes.
According to the Companion Guide, "it mimics a 5th-century BC Athenian temple with a portico of eight Doric columns bearing a pediment and bas reliefs".
After the Russian Revolution the riding academy was rebuilt to accommodate a NKVD garage.
Since the latest reconstruction campaign (dating to the late 1970s), the Saint Petersburg Manege has housed the city's main exhibition hall.