Protecting the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, admiring its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of opposition towards an invading force, she clarified: “We are trying to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of living in Ukraine. I could have left, moving away to another European nation. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings seems paradoxical at a period when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each attack, workers seal broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Amid the Bombs, a Battle for Identity

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been striving to save 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 built in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko said. The mansion was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase comparable art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire 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 demonic figure.

Several Dangers to Legacy

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body unconcerned or opposed to the city’s rich architectural history. The bitter winter climate adds another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing genuine 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 plan for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once championed older properties were now engaged in combat or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see decline of our society and state bodies,” he remarked.

Demolition and Disregard

One notorious demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to 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, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, observed by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could facilitate large-scale parades.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful vine-clad house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and authentic railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Regrettably 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. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Therapy in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we don’t win,” she conceded. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and commercial interests, these activists continue their work, one door at a time, arguing that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first save its stones.