Preserving the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Rebuilding Its Foundations Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a playful reference to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, appreciating its twig-detailed ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with several lively pavement parties.

It was also an expression of opposition against an invading force, she elaborated: “We strive to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way. We’re not afraid of staying in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, moving away to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our dedication to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems unusual at a moment when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers board up broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Explosions, a Fight for Beauty

Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was originally the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by showcase analogous art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Dangers to Legacy

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze protected buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class unconcerned or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital harks back to a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Disregard

One egregious demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the onset of major hostilities, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could allow for military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was lost his life in 2022 while engaged in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character vine-clad 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 red door and period-correct railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Unfortunately they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still some distance away from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Often we don’t win,” she conceded. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this history and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and commercial interests, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s heart, you must first save its stones.