Preserving the Capital's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, admiring its twig-detailed features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with a couple of lively pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance towards a foreign power, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of living in our country. I had the option to depart, moving away to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems unusual at a moment when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns 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 Campaign for History

Despite the violence, a group of activists has been working to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by showcase comparable art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Dual Threats to Heritage

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who raze historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a governing class indifferent or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing 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 destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. 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 engaged in combat or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he remarked.

Loss and Disregard

One glaring demolition site is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while asserting they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while engaged in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she continued. 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 authentic railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Sadly they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to move towards the west. But we are still a way off from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Resilience in Action

Some buildings are crumbling because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; debris lay under a storybook tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are attempting to save all this history and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these activists continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to save a city’s heart, you must first protect its stones.