Preserving Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a playful reference to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, gazing at its tree limb-inspired features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of resistance towards an invading force, she explained: “We are trying to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in our country. 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 are trying to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear unusual at a period when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each attack, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Conflict, a Campaign for History

Amid the bombs, a band 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 central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its outer walls is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase analogous art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Several Challenges to Legacy

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down listed buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership unconcerned or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the concept for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once championed older properties were now serving in the military or had been fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Abandonment

One egregious example of destruction is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope 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 caused immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable advocates of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. 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 built for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful creeper-covered house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and authentic railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not value the past? “Regrettably they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “This activity is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this history and splendour.”

In the face of war and development pressures, these activists continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to preserve a city’s soul, you must first cherish its history.