Protecting the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her newly installed front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, gazing at its branch-like features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with several lively pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance against a neighboring state, she explained: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of living in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear strange at a period when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers seal broken windows with plywood and try, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Amid the Explosions, a Campaign for History

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been working to conserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its outer walls is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby display comparable art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Dual Dangers to Legacy

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze historically significant buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class indifferent or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan for the capital harks back to a bygone era. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been lost. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he remarked.

Loss and Neglect

One egregious example of destruction is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while serving in the frontline. 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 erected for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and authentic railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not value the past? “Regrettably they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to go to the west. But we are still some distance away from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Resilience in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are trying to save all this past and splendour.”

In the face of conflict and commercial interests, these volunteers continue their work, one facade at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first cherish its history.