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

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, admiring its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with several lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of resistance against an invading force, she explained: “Our aim is to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of staying in our homeland. I had the option to depart, relocating to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our dedication to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear unusual at a moment when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers cover broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Explosions, a Campaign for Identity

Despite the violence, a band of activists has been striving to preserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit similar art nouveau characteristics, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower 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 Dangers to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who knock down protected buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership apathetic or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We are missing genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once championed older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been fallen. 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 persists the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Demolition and Abandonment

One egregious demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new shopping and business centre, monitored by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most renowned champions of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was fell in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were originally 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful 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 historic washroom and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s resident, 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 integrate with the west. But we are still a way off from civilization,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she conceded. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

In the face of war and commercial interests, these activists continue their work, one facade at a time, arguing that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first save its history.