Protecting Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, appreciating its branch-like details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with two lively pavement parties.

It was also an expression of opposition towards a neighboring state, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of staying in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear strange at a moment when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Fight for History

Despite the violence, a collective of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase comparable art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Multiple Threats to Heritage

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down protected buildings, corrupt officials and a political leadership indifferent or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once defended older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been lost. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see deterioration of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Demolition and Abandonment

One egregious demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new shopping and business centre, monitored by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A former political system also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its central boulevard after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while serving in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his crucial preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that eliminated them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful creeper-covered house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and original-style railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not value the past? “Sadly they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “This activity is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this history and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to save a city’s soul, you must first cherish its walls.