Protecting the Capital's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a peacock,” she stated, gazing at its twig-detailed features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of resistance against an invading force, she explained: “We are trying to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of remaining in our country. I could have left, moving away to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s built legacy may appear strange at a period when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers seal broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Battle for History

Despite the violence, a group of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by display analogous art nouveau characteristics, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Threats to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who demolish historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a governing class unconcerned or opposed to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital harks back to 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 engaged in combat or had been killed. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Loss and Abandonment

One egregious location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, observed by a surly security guard.

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

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his important preservation work. There were originally 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors remain, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful creeper-covered 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 period-correct railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not appreciate the past? “Unfortunately they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying 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 urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of official neglect. Chudna showed a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are attempting to save all this history and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s identity, you must first save its history.