Preserving Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Rebuilding Itself Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, gazing at its twig-detailed details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance towards a neighboring state, she clarified: “We strive to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way. We’re not afraid of staying in Ukraine. 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 everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered strange at a period when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers board up broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Battle for History

Despite the violence, a group of activists has been attempting to preserve 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 erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent 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 building was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit analogous art nouveau characteristics, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Several Dangers to Legacy

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze listed buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body indifferent or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the concept for the capital comes straight out of a previous decade. The mayor has refuted these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been lost. The lengthy conflict meant that everyone was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Destruction and Abandonment

One egregious location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, excavators razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a unfriendly 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 “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while engaged in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important 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 was not external attacks that eliminated them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character 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 red door and original-style 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 “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not appreciate the past? “Regrettably they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to go to the west. But we are still a way off from such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna showed a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons nested among its broken windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to save a city’s soul, you must first protect its walls.