Safeguarding Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, appreciating its twig-detailed ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance against a neighboring state, she clarified: “We strive to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in our country. I had the option to depart, starting anew to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered paradoxical at a period when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers cover broken windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Explosions, a Battle for Beauty

Despite the violence, a group of activists has been striving to preserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase analogous art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Dual Challenges to Heritage

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze listed buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body apathetic or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor has refuted these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once defended older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he remarked.

Loss and Neglect

One glaring example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the onset of major hostilities, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored 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 levelled old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A former political system also wrought immense damage on the capital, redesigning its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates 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 carrying on 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 foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last 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 ivy-draped house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves 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 go on for another 20 years. If we neglect 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 citizens not cherish the past? “Unfortunately they lack 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. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Therapy in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and beauty.”

In the face of conflict and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s identity, you must first save its history.