Preserving the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Rebuilding Its Foundations Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, appreciating its branch-like details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance towards a foreign power, she elaborated: “We strive to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of staying in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy may appear strange at a time when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Fight for Beauty

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been working to save the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce today,” Danylenko stated. The mansion was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase analogous art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Dual Challenges to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who knock down listed buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership apathetic or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital harks back to a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once championed older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been lost. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he argued.

Demolition and Neglect

One notorious example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a surly 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 former political system also inflicted immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell 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 initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful ivy-draped house built in 1910, which acts 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 go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not cherish the past? “Regrettably they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she conceded. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

In the face of war and development pressures, these volunteers continue their work, one building at a time, believing that to save a city’s heart, you must first protect its walls.