Preserving Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, admiring its branch-like features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with two lively pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance in the face of a neighboring state, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, moving away to another European nation. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy may appear paradoxical at a moment when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each strike, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Amid the Bombs, a Battle for History

Despite the violence, a collective of activists has been attempting to preserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko said. The mansion was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase similar art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Challenges to History

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish protected buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership apathetic or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate adds another burden.

“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 friends with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once protected older properties were now engaged in combat or had been lost. The ongoing conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see deterioration of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Demolition and Disregard

One notorious location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new shopping and business centre, observed by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while asserting they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street 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 cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while serving in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their authentic doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique vine-clad 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 red door and authentic railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not value the past? “Unfortunately they lack 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 reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “This activity is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this history and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, believing that to save a city’s heart, you must first protect its walls.