Safeguarding Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, gazing at its twig-detailed ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of opposition against a foreign power, she explained: “We are trying to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in our country. I could have left, relocating to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our allegiance to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered unusual at a time when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each assault, workers cover broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Amid the Explosions, a Battle for History

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been attempting to save 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 originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby display similar art nouveau characteristics, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Dangers to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who demolish listed buildings, unethical officials and a governing class unconcerned or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another challenge.

“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 stated that the concept for the capital harks back to a bygone era. The mayor denies 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 fallen. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he remarked.

Demolition and Abandonment

One notorious demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, heavy machinery tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for military vehicles.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his vital preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful 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 vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Unfortunately they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still a way off from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its broken windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and splendour.”

In the face of war and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one building at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s identity, you must first cherish its stones.