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

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, appreciating its branch-like ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who commemorated the work with two lively pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance against a neighboring state, she elaborated: “We strive to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of staying in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, moving away to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered paradoxical at a period when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each strike, workers cover broken windows with plywood and try, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Fight for Identity

Amid the bombs, a band 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 first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase comparable art nouveau elements, 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 forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Dangers to History

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

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing 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 added that the vision for the capital harks back to a different time. The mayor has refuted these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Demolition and Neglect

One egregious demolition site is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful ivy-draped 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 crimson entrance and authentic railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for 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 “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Unfortunately they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to go to the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she admitted. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this history and beauty.”

In the face of conflict and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to rebuild a city’s identity, you must first cherish its stones.