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

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her newly installed front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, appreciating its twig-detailed details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who celebrated with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of opposition against a neighboring state, she explained: “We strive to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of remaining in Ukraine. I could have left, starting anew to another European nation. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered unusual at a moment when drone attacks regularly target the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each strike, workers seal broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Battle for Beauty

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been attempting to save 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 constructed in 1906 and was originally the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby exhibit comparable art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire 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 imp.

Multiple Dangers to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who demolish protected buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body unconcerned or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor denies these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once defended older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Destruction and Disregard

One notorious demolition site is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched by a stern 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 central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his important preservation work. There were originally 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique vine-clad house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not value the past? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Resilience in Preservation

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

In the face of conflict and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one building at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first protect its walls.