Safeguarding Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: A City Rebuilding Its Foundations in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, appreciating its branch-like ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance against an invading force, she explained: “We strive to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of staying in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings seems unusual at a moment when drone attacks regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each attack, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Fight for Beauty

In the midst of war, a group of activists has been working to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase analogous art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Threats to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who demolish protected buildings, corrupt officials and a political leadership unconcerned or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We are missing substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. 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 fighting on the frontline or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Demolition and Disregard

One egregious location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new shopping and business centre, monitored by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while asserting they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most renowned champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was lost his life in 2022 while engaged in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she added. 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 doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and authentic railings; inside is a period bathroom 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 occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not cherish the past? “Regrettably they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still a way off from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Often we lose the battle,” she admitted. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this past and beauty.”

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