Preserving the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Rebuilding Itself Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, admiring its twig-detailed features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of resistance in the face of a neighboring state, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way. We’re not afraid of remaining in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to another European nation. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear strange at a period when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Battle for Identity

Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been working to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was originally the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The building was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby display comparable art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Multiple Threats to History

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down protected buildings, unethical officials and a governing class unconcerned or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We lack real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov stated that the concept for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor has refuted these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once championed older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been killed. The ongoing conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he remarked.

Destruction and Disregard

One notorious demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, excavators razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character vine-clad house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and period-correct railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect 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 value the past? “Unfortunately they do not have 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 civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Resilience in Action

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she admitted. “This activity is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this history and aesthetic value.”

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