Preserving the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she stated, admiring its twig-detailed ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with several neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of resistance in the face of a neighboring state, she explained: “We strive to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way. We’re not afraid of living in our homeland. I had the option to depart, starting anew to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered strange at a moment when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Battle for History

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been striving to preserve 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 constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The mansion was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit similar art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Multiple Threats to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze listed buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership indifferent or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have genuine 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 destroy important houses. Perov stated that the vision for the capital comes straight out of a bygone era. The mayor has refuted these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been killed. The ongoing conflict meant that the entire society was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he remarked.

Destruction and Neglect

One egregious location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the 2022 invasion, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while asserting they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful vine-clad house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and authentic railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Unfortunately they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to move towards the west. But we are still a way off from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; debris lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are trying to save all this past and beauty.”

In the face of war and development pressures, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first save its stones.