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

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, appreciating its tree limb-inspired features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of resistance against a foreign power, she elaborated: “We strive to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of staying in our homeland. I could have left, relocating to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear unusual at a time when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Within the Explosions, a Battle for Identity

Despite the violence, a collective of activists has been striving to preserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was originally the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its exterior is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko noted. The building was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase analogous art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Several Dangers to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down historically significant buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class apathetic or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We lack genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor rejects these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once protected older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he remarked.

Demolition and Disregard

One egregious demolition site is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored 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 stating they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his important preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, 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 fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character vine-clad house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and authentic railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not appreciate the past? “Unfortunately they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to go to the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons roosted among its smashed windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Often we lose the battle,” she conceded. “Preservation work is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this past and beauty.”

In the face of conflict and commercial interests, these volunteers continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to save a city’s identity, you must first cherish its history.