The present structure was built in 1818–1820 by Vikenty Beretti; it is the only typical building of its kind preserved in Russian cities.

Corporal punishments of serfs from the 18th to the early 19th centuries took place on Sennaya Square right in front of the guardhouse's entrance.

[2] Since 1886 (or since November 17, 1891), the building housed the City Sanitary-Analytical Station, which inspected products broughtto the square for sale.

To furnish it, the City Administration bought equipment from private organizations, the Society for Public Health Protection, and Zverintsev's Analytical Station.

[1] In 1994, a fire occurred in the reptile department of the Leningrad Zoo, prompting Anatoly Sobchak to allocate the guardhouse building for the terrarium.