Preserving Kyiv'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 playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, admiring its twig-detailed details. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance towards an invading force, she explained: “We are trying to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of staying in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to another European nation. 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.”

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy seems paradoxical at a period when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, bombing campaigns have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers board up broken windows with plywood and try, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Fight for History

Despite the violence, a collective of activists has been striving to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a whimsical 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 wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase similar art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area features two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Threats to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish historically significant buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class unconcerned or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We are missing 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 bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor has refuted these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once protected older properties were now engaged in combat or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing monetary strain, 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 deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Loss and Abandonment

One notorious demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. A day after the full-scale invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, watched by a unfriendly 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 claiming they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could allow for official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while engaged in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were originally 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said.

“It was not external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful vine-clad house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates 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 resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Regrettably they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to go to the west. But we are still not yet close from that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Resilience in Action

Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we lose the battle,” she admitted. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these activists continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to save a city’s identity, you must first protect its walls.