Safeguarding Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, admiring its twig-detailed details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with several lively pavement parties.

It was also an act of opposition in the face of a neighboring state, she elaborated: “We strive to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of staying in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to a foreign land. Conversely, 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 arranging our life in the best possible way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered unusual at a period 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 attack, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Explosions, a Campaign for Beauty

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been striving to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central 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 fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit comparable art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Dual Dangers to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze listed buildings, unethical officials and a governing class indifferent or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov added that the plan for the capital harks back to a bygone era. The mayor has refuted these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once defended older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The ongoing conflict meant that the entire society was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Demolition and Neglect

One egregious location of loss is in the historic 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, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, 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 claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, redesigning its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate large-scale parades.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was fell 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 at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character vine-clad 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 red door and original-style railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on 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 value the past? “Sadly 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 persisted, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Resilience in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna showed a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she admitted. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

In the face of conflict and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s soul, you must first protect its walls.