Protecting the Capital's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Rebuilding Itself Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she stated, appreciating its branch-like ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance against a foreign power, she explained: “We strive to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of living in our country. I had the option to depart, relocating to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered paradoxical at a moment when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Explosions, a Campaign for History

Despite the violence, a group of activists has been working to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was first the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by display similar art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Dangers to Legacy

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who knock down protected buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body indifferent or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We lack genuine 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 added that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor denies these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once championed older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Loss and Neglect

One egregious demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the full-scale invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, watched by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while engaged in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his important preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and period-correct railings; inside is a historic washroom 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 “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not appreciate the past? “Regrettably they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Preservation

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

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