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

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, gazing at its twig-detailed features. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with two neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of defiance towards an invading force, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way. Fear does not drive us of living in our homeland. I had the option to depart, moving away to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear unusual at a period when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been significantly intensified. After each strike, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings.

Among the Bombs, a Battle for History

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been striving 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 wealthy fur dealer. Its exterior is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce today,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by an architect of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase analogous art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Dual Threats to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze listed buildings, corrupt officials and a political leadership apathetic or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We lack real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital harks back to a bygone era. The mayor denies 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 lost. The protracted conflict meant that everyone was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he remarked.

Destruction and Neglect

One egregious demolition site is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, excavators tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, monitored by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A 20th-century empire also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was killed in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his important preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t 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 not a thing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character creeper-covered house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and authentic railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect 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 residents not appreciate the past? “Regrettably they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still not yet close from that standard,” he said. Previous ways of thinking persisted, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are collapsing because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she conceded. “This activity is therapy for us. We are trying to save all this heritage and beauty.”

In the face of war and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, stating that to preserve a city’s identity, you must first save its history.