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

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, gazing at its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with several neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance in the face of a neighboring state, she explained: “We are trying to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of remaining in our country. I could have left, starting anew to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered paradoxical at a moment when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers cover broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Battle for Identity

Despite the violence, a band of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s crumbling 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 originally the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon nowadays,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit analogous art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Dangers to Heritage

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze listed buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership apathetic or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes 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 alleged the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov added that the concept for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor has refuted these claims, attributing them 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 all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Demolition and Disregard

One notorious location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, observed 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 demolished old properties while stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was killed in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his important preservation work. There were originally 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not external attacks that destroyed them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character creeper-covered house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not appreciate 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 some distance away from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; refuse lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she admitted. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this history and aesthetic value.”

In the face of conflict and development pressures, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first save its history.