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

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its elegant transom window the “croissant”, a playful reference to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, admiring its branch-like details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who celebrated with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of opposition towards an invading force, she explained: “Our aim is to live like ordinary 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 represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered unusual at a period when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been notably increased. After each attack, workers cover broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Conflict, a Campaign for Identity

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been striving 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 constructed in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity display similar art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Dual Threats to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a governing class unconcerned or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We lack real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov added that the concept for the capital harks back to a bygone era. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The ongoing conflict meant that everyone was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Demolition and Disregard

One notorious example of destruction is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had committed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. A day after the 2022 invasion, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while asserting they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Continuing the Work

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

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful creeper-covered house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door 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 not a thing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool 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 striving as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still some distance away from such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Often we lose the battle,” she conceded. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are trying to save all this history and beauty.”

In the face of war and development pressures, these volunteers continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s soul, you must first protect its stones.