Protecting Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Rebuilding Itself Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a peacock,” she stated, gazing at its branch-like ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who celebrated with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of defiance against a foreign power, she explained: “We are trying to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear paradoxical at a moment when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Campaign for Identity

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

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby display comparable art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Several Challenges to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who demolish listed buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class unconcerned or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital harks back to a bygone era. The mayor rejects these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Demolition and Abandonment

One egregious example of destruction is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, observed by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A former political system also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was killed in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that eliminated them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character 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 period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not value the past? “Unfortunately they lack 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. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Action

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna showed a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a storybook tower. “Often we don’t win,” she conceded. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these activists continue their work, one facade at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first save its stones.