Safeguarding the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Itself Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, appreciating its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who commemorated the work with several neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition towards a neighboring state, she clarified: “We strive to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way. We’re not afraid of living in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy seems unusual at a moment when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each attack, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Bombs, a Fight for Beauty

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been working to conserve 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 constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce today,” Danylenko said. The mansion was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit similar art nouveau elements, 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 displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Several Dangers to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish protected buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership indifferent or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

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

Loss and Disregard

One egregious example of destruction is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. Shortly following the onset of major hostilities, excavators razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while asserting they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. 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 industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character vine-clad house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Unfortunately they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Often we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and beauty.”

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