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

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, admiring its branch-like details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of opposition against a neighboring state, she explained: “We strive to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of living in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear strange at a time when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Campaign for History

In the midst of war, a group of activists has been attempting to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce today,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit comparable art nouveau characteristics, 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 forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Several Dangers to History

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish listed buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body unconcerned or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once championed older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Destruction and Disregard

One notorious location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was killed in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful 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 crimson entrance and authentic railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not value the past? “Sadly they lack 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 that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Therapy in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Often we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and aesthetic value.”

In the face of war and commercial interests, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, arguing that to rebuild a city’s identity, you must first protect its stones.