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

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “croissant”, a playful reference to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, admiring its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition towards a foreign power, she explained: “We strive to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of staying in Ukraine. I could have left, relocating to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered unusual at a period when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Campaign for Identity

Despite the violence, a collective of activists has been attempting to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its exterior is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by showcase analogous art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Multiple Challenges to Heritage

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 resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov stated 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 civically minded activists who once championed older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Abandonment

One glaring location of loss 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 onset of major hostilities, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new commercial complex, watched by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character creeper-covered house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance 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 little will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not cherish the past? “Regrettably they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still not yet close from that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this past and splendour.”

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