Protecting the Capital's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Rebuilding Its Foundations Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, appreciating its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was funded through 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 explained: “We are trying to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of remaining in our homeland. I could have left, starting anew to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered unusual at a period when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers seal broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Fight for History

In the midst of war, a group of activists has been attempting to preserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its exterior is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby exhibit analogous art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Several Threats to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish protected buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership unconcerned or opposed to the city’s rich architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov added that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor has refuted these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

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

Loss and Disregard

One egregious demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the onset of major hostilities, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new commercial complex, watched by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled 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 military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most renowned champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while serving in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors remain, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful ivy-draped house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and authentic railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility 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 occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not value the past? “Regrettably they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to go to the west. But we are still a way off from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Resilience in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

In the face of conflict and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to save a city’s soul, you must first save its walls.