Preserving Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, appreciating its twig-detailed ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who celebrated with several impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance in the face of a neighboring state, she explained: “Our aim is to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way. We’re not afraid of living in Ukraine. I could have left, relocating to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy seems unusual at a period when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers cover broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Campaign for Identity

Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by exhibit comparable art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Dangers to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who demolish historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class unconcerned or hostile to the city’s rich 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 asserted the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Loss and Disregard

One glaring demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had agreed to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new shopping and business centre, observed by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while claiming 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 official processions.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent 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 carrying on his important preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not external attacks that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique vine-clad house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves 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 last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not appreciate the past? “Regrettably they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Previous ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we lose the battle,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and aesthetic value.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these activists continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s identity, you must first cherish its stones.