Protecting the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Itself Under the Threat of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a showy bird,” she stated, admiring its branch-like details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance against a neighboring state, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of staying in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy seems paradoxical at a time when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers board up broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Amid the Bombs, a Fight for Identity

Despite the violence, a group of activists has been working to save the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic 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.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The mansion was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase similar art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Threats to Heritage

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish protected buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership indifferent or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was allied with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov added that the plan for the capital comes straight out of a bygone era. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come 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 protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Disregard

One egregious location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new shopping and business centre, observed by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, redesigning its central boulevard after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most notable advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while serving 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 erected for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and authentic railings; inside is a period bathroom 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 resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not value the past? “Sadly they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still not yet close from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Resilience in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons nested among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Often we lose the battle,” she admitted. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are trying to save all this past and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s heart, you must first save its stones.