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

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “croissant”, a playful reference to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, appreciating its branch-like ornamentation. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition in the face of a neighboring state, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of staying in our homeland. I had the option to depart, relocating to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered unusual at a moment when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each attack, workers seal broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Campaign for History

Despite the violence, a band of activists has been working to save the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was originally the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce today,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit analogous art nouveau characteristics, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area features two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Dual Threats to Heritage

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down listed buildings, unethical officials and a governing class unconcerned or opposed to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack real 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 added that the plan for the capital comes straight out of a bygone era. 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 lost. The ongoing conflict meant that everyone was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Destruction and Neglect

One egregious demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, excavators razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, watched by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that destroyed them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue 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 full of character vine-clad house built in 1910, which acts 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 period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing 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 cherish the past? “Sadly they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to go to the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Therapy in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these activists continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s identity, you must first protect its history.