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

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she stated, admiring its tree limb-inspired features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of defiance towards a foreign power, she explained: “We strive to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of staying in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered strange at a moment when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each strike, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Fight for History

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce today,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby exhibit similar art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a medieval spire 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 imp.

Multiple Threats to Heritage

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish protected buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body apathetic or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital comes straight out of a previous decade. The mayor rejects these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once championed older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been lost. The lengthy conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously 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 remarked.

Demolition and Neglect

One glaring demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the onset of major hostilities, excavators razed it to the ground. 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 blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable advocates 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 persevering in his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their authentic doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique 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 period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not value the past? “Sadly they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to move towards the west. But we are still a way off from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Therapy in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “This activity is therapy for us. We are trying to save all this history and splendour.”

In the face of war and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to save a city’s identity, you must first protect its history.