Preserving the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Rebuilding Its Foundations Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she remarked, appreciating its branch-like details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of defiance against a neighboring state, she clarified: “We strive to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of living in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered strange at a period when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Explosions, a Campaign for Identity

Despite the violence, a collective of activists has been working to preserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit similar art nouveau characteristics, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Several Threats to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish protected buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class apathetic or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack real 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 flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital comes straight out of a previous decade. The mayor has refuted these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Destruction and Neglect

One glaring location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while engaged in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for 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 vine-clad 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 period-correct railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect 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 move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she conceded. “Restoration 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 facade at a time, arguing that to preserve a city’s soul, you must first cherish its stones.