Preserving Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, admiring its twig-detailed details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of defiance in the face of a neighboring state, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of staying in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to another European nation. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems paradoxical at a period when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each attack, workers board up broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Explosions, a Fight for Identity

Despite the violence, a collective of activists has been attempting to preserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was originally the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its exterior is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit comparable art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Dangers to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze listed buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body apathetic or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital comes straight out of a previous decade. The mayor has refuted these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been lost. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Destruction and Disregard

One egregious demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, watched by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while asserting they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its central boulevard after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while engaged in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, 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 fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique 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 historic washroom and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Unfortunately they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to go to the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; debris lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she admitted. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one building at a time, believing that to save a city’s soul, you must first save its history.