Andrei Stackenschneider, the court architect, designed the palace, built from 1839 to 1844. Nicholas I commissioned it as a gift for his eldest daughter, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, on her marriage. The article calls it the last neoclassical imperial residence built in Saint Petersburg.
The facade has heavy rustication and Corinthian columns, and the design draws on 17th-century French Baroque with Renaissance-style exterior ornament. Each interior room follows a different historic style, which makes the design eclectic. It was originally reddish-brown and is now painted white. Materials from the demolished Chernyshev Palace were reused.
It stands on the south side of Saint Isaac's Square, across the Blue Bridge from the cathedral. The Provisional Government took full possession in March 1917, and it has housed the Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg since 1994. The article gives no dimensions or visiting details.
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