Preserving Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Rebuilding Its Foundations Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a showy bird,” she stated, gazing at its twig-detailed ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance in the face of a neighboring state, she explained: “We strive 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 living in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, starting anew to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered strange at a period when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning 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 Fight for Identity

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was first the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase 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 sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Several Threats to Heritage

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

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan for the capital comes straight out of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended older properties were now serving in the military or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Destruction and Abandonment

One egregious demolition site is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. 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 levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders 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 important preservation work. There were initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique vine-clad house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and original-style railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little 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 cherish the past? “Regrettably they lack 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 such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are falling apart because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this past and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one facade at a time, arguing that to preserve a city’s identity, you must first save its history.