Safeguarding the Capital's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, gazing at its tree limb-inspired details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with several neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance towards a neighboring state, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of remaining in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered unusual at a moment when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Amid the Explosions, a Fight for History

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been attempting to save the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was originally the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce today,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit analogous art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower 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.

Dual Dangers to Heritage

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down protected buildings, unethical officials and a governing class indifferent or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing genuine 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 flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once championed older properties were now engaged in combat or had been lost. The ongoing conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Destruction and Abandonment

One notorious location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new shopping and business centre, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while stating they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “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 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 original-style railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not value the past? “Unfortunately they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to go to the west. But we are still a way off from that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking persisted, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one building at a time, arguing that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first cherish its walls.