Protecting Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she stated, admiring its branch-like details. 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 in the face of an invading force, she elaborated: “We strive to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of living in our homeland. I had the option to depart, starting anew to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy seems strange at a time when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers board up broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Fight for Identity

Despite the violence, a band of activists has been working to conserve the city’s crumbling 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 wealthy fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase comparable art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Several Challenges to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish protected buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body apathetic or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the concept for the capital comes straight out of a bygone era. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate 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 fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see decline of our society and state bodies,” he argued.

Demolition and Disregard

One notorious location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had committed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new shopping and business centre, 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 destroyed old properties while stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while fighting 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 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered 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 red door and period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue 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 “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Sadly they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons nested among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and commercial interests, these activists continue their work, one facade at a time, stating that to save a city’s identity, you must first protect its walls.