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

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, gazing at its branch-like details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with several lively pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance in the face of a neighboring state, she clarified: “We are trying to live like normal people despite 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, relocating to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear unusual at a time when drone attacks regularly target the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Battle for Beauty

Despite the violence, a group of activists has been attempting to preserve 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 exterior is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit similar art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Dual Challenges to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body apathetic or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We are missing substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the vision for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see deterioration of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Destruction and Neglect

One egregious location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also caused immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most notable advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their authentic doors are still in existence, 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 fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character ivy-draped house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom 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 “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Sadly 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 not yet close from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Resilience in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we don’t win,” she admitted. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this history and aesthetic value.”

In the face of war and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s soul, you must first cherish its stones.