Protecting the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Itself Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, admiring its tree limb-inspired features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who celebrated with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance against a neighboring state, she explained: “We are trying to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to another European nation. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s built legacy seems strange at a period when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Fight for Beauty

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been attempting to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed 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 increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase similar art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Dual Challenges to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze protected buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class unconcerned or opposed to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We lack genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the concept for the capital comes straight out of a bygone era. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once championed older properties were now serving in the military or had been fallen. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see decline of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Loss and Abandonment

One egregious location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. Shortly following the onset of major hostilities, heavy machinery tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was lost his life in 2022 while serving in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his important preservation work. There were originally 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their period doors remain, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique ivy-draped house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and original-style railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not value the past? “Sadly they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to go to the west. But we are still not yet close from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she admitted. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are trying to save all this history and beauty.”

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