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

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, gazing at its tree limb-inspired features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of opposition against a foreign power, she explained: “We strive to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of remaining in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems unusual at a period when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers seal broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Explosions, a Campaign for Beauty

Despite the violence, a group of activists has been attempting 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 built in 1906 and was first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby display comparable art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area features two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Challenges to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body unconcerned or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate presents another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We lack substantive 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 flatten important houses. Perov stated that the concept for the capital is reminiscent 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 protected older properties were now engaged in combat or had been fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Demolition and Abandonment

One notorious location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had agreed to preserve its charming brick facade. A day after the onset of major hostilities, excavators 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 little optimism for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for military vehicles.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most renowned champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, 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 at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique vine-clad house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and original-style railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not cherish the past? “Unfortunately they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to go to the west. But we are still some distance away from civilization,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are attempting to save all this history and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, arguing that to preserve a city’s identity, you must first protect its walls.