Preserving Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Rebuilding Its Foundations Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she stated, appreciating its branch-like details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with two lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition towards an invading force, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our allegiance to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered strange at a time when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Explosions, a Battle for History

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been striving to save 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 first the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase comparable art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Dual Threats to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze listed buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class unconcerned or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor denies these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected 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 those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see deterioration of our society and state bodies,” he argued.

Loss and Abandonment

One egregious demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with 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, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched by a surly 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 stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also wrought immense damage on the capital, redesigning its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that destroyed 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 emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique vine-clad house built in 1910, which serves 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 vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue 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 “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to go to the west. But we are still not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Resilience in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she admitted. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this past and splendour.”

In the face of war and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one building at a time, arguing that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first save its walls.