Protecting the Capital's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, admiring its twig-detailed features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance in the face of an invading force, she elaborated: “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 Ukraine. I could have left, moving away to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered unusual at a period when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers seal blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Explosions, a Campaign for Identity

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been striving to save the city’s decaying mansions, built in a playful 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 prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit analogous art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Multiple Challenges to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze protected buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body apathetic or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We lack real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor rejects these claims, stating they come 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 ongoing conflict meant that everyone was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he remarked.

Destruction and Disregard

One notorious example of destruction is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the 2022 invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, observed by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while asserting they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while engaged in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that destroyed them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful ivy-draped house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates 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 don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not cherish the past? “Regrettably they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. 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 lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and commercial interests, these volunteers continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s heart, you must first cherish its walls.