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

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, admiring its tree limb-inspired features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with several lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition towards an invading force, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of remaining in Ukraine. I could have left, starting anew to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems paradoxical at a period when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each strike, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Amid the Explosions, a Battle for Beauty

In the midst of war, a group of activists has been working to conserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical 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 affluent fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby display analogous art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Dangers to Heritage

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze protected buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body apathetic or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he remarked.

Destruction and Abandonment

One egregious demolition site is in the historic 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 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 coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, redesigning its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were originally 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their period doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique 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 red door and original-style 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 not a thing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not value the past? “Unfortunately 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 a way off from such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons nested among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Often we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “This activity is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and aesthetic value.”

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