Preserving Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: A City Rebuilding Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, gazing at its tree limb-inspired details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with two lively pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance in the face of a foreign power, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of remaining in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered strange at a moment when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each assault, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Explosions, a Campaign for Identity

Despite the violence, a group of activists has been striving to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was first the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit similar art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area features two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Dangers to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down protected buildings, corrupt officials and a political leadership apathetic or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov added that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The ongoing conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Demolition and Disregard

One notorious example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the onset of major hostilities, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while stating they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was lost his life in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. 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 vermilion portal and period-correct railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not cherish the past? “Regrettably they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to go to the west. But we are still a way off from civilization,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and aesthetic value.”

In the face of destruction and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s soul, you must first protect its walls.