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

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, appreciating its twig-detailed details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with several neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance in the face of a foreign power, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of living in our homeland. I had the option to depart, relocating to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the optimal way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings seems strange at a moment when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each attack, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Fight for Identity

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been working to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its exterior is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase comparable art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Multiple Dangers to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who knock down listed buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class indifferent or opposed to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing substantive 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 flatten important houses. Perov stated that the vision for the capital harks back to a different time. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once protected older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and state bodies,” he argued.

Demolition and Neglect

One glaring demolition site is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its central boulevard after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was killed in 2022 while engaged in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character vine-clad house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and original-style railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not cherish the past? “Regrettably 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 not yet close from civilization,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “This activity is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this history and splendour.”

In the face of conflict and commercial interests, these activists continue their work, one facade at a time, arguing that to save a city’s heart, you must first save its walls.