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

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, appreciating its twig-detailed details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance against a neighboring state, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of staying in our homeland. I had the option to depart, moving away to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear strange at a moment when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each assault, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Campaign for Identity

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been working to preserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko said. The mansion was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit similar art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Threats to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze protected buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class apathetic or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan for the capital comes straight out of a bygone era. 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 engaged in combat or had been fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Loss and Neglect

One glaring demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. Shortly following the onset of major hostilities, excavators razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while asserting they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate large-scale parades.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates 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 persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful 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 vermilion portal and authentic railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not appreciate the past? “Sadly 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 civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this history and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these volunteers continue their work, one facade at a time, stating that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first protect its stones.