Protecting 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 ornate transom window the “crescent roll”, a playful reference to its curved shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, appreciating its twig-detailed details. 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 several lively pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance against a foreign power, she explained: “We strive to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of living in our homeland. I could have left, moving away to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s built legacy seems unusual at a time when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers board up broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Bombs, a Fight for History

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been striving to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was originally the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by display comparable art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area displays two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Several Dangers to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who knock down historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a governing class indifferent or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We are missing real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital harks back to a previous decade. 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 engaged in combat or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he remarked.

Loss and Neglect

One egregious location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while serving in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their authentic doors are still in existence, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend 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 operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and original-style railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, 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 integrate with the west. But we are still not yet close from civilization,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; debris lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and splendour.”

In the face of war and development pressures, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first cherish its walls.