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

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, appreciating its tree limb-inspired details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with several lively pavement parties.

It was also an act of opposition against a neighboring state, she explained: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of remaining in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings seems unusual at a period when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each strike, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Explosions, a Battle for Beauty

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been working to save the city’s decaying mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit 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 displays two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Multiple Threats to Legacy

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who knock down listed buildings, unethical officials and a governing class unconcerned or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We are missing genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the concept for the capital harks back to a different time. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once championed older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been fallen. The ongoing conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see deterioration of our society and state bodies,” he remarked.

Destruction and Abandonment

One notorious demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while asserting they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little 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 operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and period-correct 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 occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not value the past? “Regrettably they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of official neglect. Chudna showed a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; debris lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this history and splendour.”

In the face of war and neglect, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s identity, you must first protect its history.