Protecting Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Rebuilding Itself Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her freshly fitted front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, gazing at its tree limb-inspired features. 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 two lively pavement parties.

It was also an act of defiance towards an invading force, she explained: “We are trying to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of staying in Ukraine. I could have left, relocating to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear strange at a moment when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each attack, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Fight for Identity

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been working to save the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare today,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase comparable art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Threats to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who demolish historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body apathetic or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another burden.

“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 friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the vision for the capital harks back to a bygone era. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been lost. The ongoing conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Demolition and Neglect

One egregious location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. Shortly following the 2022 invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while claiming they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was killed in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments 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 nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique creeper-covered house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect 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 cherish the past? “Unfortunately they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still a way off from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna showed a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this history and aesthetic value.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these activists continue their work, one facade at a time, arguing that to rebuild a city’s identity, you must first protect its history.