Safeguarding the Capital's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, appreciating its twig-detailed details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who commemorated the work with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition against a foreign power, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of staying in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear paradoxical at a moment when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Battle for Beauty

Despite the violence, a collective of activists has been working to conserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a playful 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 wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by display similar art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area features two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Dual Threats to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish protected buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership unconcerned or opposed to the city’s profound architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor denies 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 fallen. The ongoing conflict meant that all citizens was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Destruction and Abandonment

One notorious example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, excavators razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, observed by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while claiming they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his important preservation work. There were originally 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said.

“It was not external attacks that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered 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 vermilion portal and original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, 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 move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and beauty.”

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