Preserving Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she stated, gazing at its branch-like features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of resistance towards a foreign power, she explained: “We are trying to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of remaining in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear strange at a time when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Campaign for Beauty

In the midst of war, a group 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 first the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase analogous art nouveau characteristics, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Challenges to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down protected buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body apathetic or opposed to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the concept for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Demolition and Neglect

One glaring location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the onset of major hostilities, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, monitored by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his crucial preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their period 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 don’t defend architecture now nothing 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 red door and original-style railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not cherish 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 not yet close from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Resilience in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are trying to save all this history and splendour.”

In the face of war and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one building at a time, arguing that to save a city’s identity, you must first save its walls.