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

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she stated, admiring its tree limb-inspired features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who commemorated the work with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of opposition towards a neighboring state, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of remaining in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings seems unusual at a time when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers board up broken windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Bombs, a Fight for Beauty

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been striving to conserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit comparable art nouveau characteristics, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower 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 Threats to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze historically significant buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body unconcerned or opposed to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated 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 protected older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Demolition and Abandonment

One egregious demolition site is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, 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 official processions.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most notable advocates 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 continuing his vital preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and original-style 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 tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Unfortunately they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from such cultural awareness,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a storybook tower. “Often we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this past and beauty.”

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