Protecting the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Rebuilding Itself Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she stated, gazing at its twig-detailed ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance against a foreign power, she explained: “Our aim is to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of living in our homeland. I could have left, relocating to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered unusual at a time when missile strikes regularly target the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each attack, workers seal broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Explosions, a Campaign for Identity

Despite the violence, a band of activists has been working to save the city’s decaying mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy 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 today,” Danylenko noted. The building was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby exhibit similar art nouveau characteristics, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area displays two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Challenges to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze listed buildings, unethical officials and a governing class apathetic or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh 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 alleged the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the vision 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 protected older properties were now engaged in combat or had been lost. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see decline of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Demolition and Abandonment

One egregious location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. A day after the onset of major hostilities, excavators razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored 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 demolished old properties while asserting they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while serving in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t external attacks that eliminated them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not value the past? “Regrettably 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. Outdated ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Resilience in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; debris lay under a storybook tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and splendour.”

In the face of war and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, arguing that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first save its stones.