Preserving Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Rebuilding Itself Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, appreciating its branch-like features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of opposition towards a foreign power, she clarified: “We are trying to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of living in Ukraine. I could have left, moving away to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered unusual at a time when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Battle for Beauty

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been attempting to save the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit similar art nouveau characteristics, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Several Challenges to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish protected buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body apathetic or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now engaged in combat or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society 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 degradation of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Loss and Neglect

One notorious demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had agreed to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. 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 not much hope for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while stating they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its central boulevard after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable advocates of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell 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 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.

“It was not external attacks that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not appreciate the past? “Regrettably they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Preservation

Some buildings are crumbling 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 fairytale tower. “Often we don’t win,” she conceded. “This activity is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

In the face of war and neglect, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, believing that to save a city’s heart, you must first protect its history.