Preserving the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Itself in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its elegant transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, appreciating its tree limb-inspired details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of opposition towards a neighboring state, she explained: “We are trying to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of staying in our country. I had the option to depart, relocating to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear unusual at a period when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each strike, workers seal broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Campaign for Identity

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been striving to conserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was originally the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit analogous art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Dual Dangers to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish protected buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class indifferent or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack substantive 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 further alleged that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once championed older properties were now engaged in combat or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Demolition and Abandonment

One egregious location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, observed by a unfriendly 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 stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate large-scale parades.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most renowned champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique ivy-draped house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles 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 continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not appreciate the past? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still a way off from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; debris lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she admitted. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and aesthetic value.”

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