Preserving Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she stated, admiring its twig-detailed features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of opposition against a foreign power, she elaborated: “We strive to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of living in Ukraine. I could have left, relocating to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s architectural heritage seems unusual at a time when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each strike, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Battle for Identity

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been working to preserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby exhibit analogous art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area features two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Dangers to Heritage

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body indifferent or opposed to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once championed older properties were now engaged in combat or had been killed. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he remarked.

Destruction and Abandonment

One glaring location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. A day after the full-scale invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane dug 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 asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while engaged in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his vital preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she continued. 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 vermilion portal and original-style railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing 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? “Regrettably they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and beauty.”

In the face of war and development pressures, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, arguing that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first save its stones.