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

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, gazing at its twig-detailed details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with a couple of impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance in the face of a neighboring state, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of living in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, moving away to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy seems strange at a period when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers cover broken windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Campaign for Identity

In the midst of war, a group of activists has been striving to save the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby exhibit comparable art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Dangers to Legacy

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down historically significant buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class apathetic or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We lack substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan 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 civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been fallen. The ongoing conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he remarked.

Demolition 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 purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its charming brick facade. Shortly following the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new shopping and business centre, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A former political system also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while serving in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his vital 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 original doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character 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 vermilion portal 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 not a thing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Sadly 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 some distance away from civilization,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a storybook tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this past and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one facade at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s heart, you must first cherish its walls.