Safeguarding the Capital's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Rebuilding Its Foundations Under the Threat of War.

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. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she stated, appreciating its twig-detailed details. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with two lively pavement parties.

It was also an expression of opposition against an invading force, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of remaining in our homeland. I had the option to depart, moving away to another European nation. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our allegiance to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered strange at a moment when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Among the Conflict, a Campaign for History

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been working to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a whimsical 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 affluent fur dealer. Its exterior is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko said. The mansion was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity display similar art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower 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 devil.

Multiple Threats to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down protected buildings, dishonest officials and a political leadership unconcerned or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate adds another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor has refuted these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once protected older properties were now engaged in combat or had been killed. The ongoing conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see decline of our society and state bodies,” he remarked.

Destruction and Abandonment

One egregious example of destruction is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of 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 demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a unfriendly security guard.

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

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not external attacks that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “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 ivy-draped 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 don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not value the past? “Unfortunately they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Therapy in Action

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

In the face of conflict and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first cherish its walls.