Safeguarding the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a lighthearted tribute to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, admiring its twig-detailed features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of resistance in the face of a neighboring state, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of remaining in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings could be considered paradoxical at a period when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each strike, workers seal broken windows with plywood and try, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Among the Conflict, a Campaign for History

In the midst of war, a group of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce today,” Danylenko said. The mansion was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity showcase analogous art nouveau characteristics, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area displays two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Dual Challenges to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body indifferent or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once defended older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this persists 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 the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new commercial complex, watched 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 asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was lost his life in 2022 while serving in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said.

“It was not external attacks that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful ivy-draped house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and period-correct railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool 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 attempting as a country to go to the west. But we are still some distance away from civilization,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its shattered windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she admitted. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are striving to save all this history and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and development pressures, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first cherish its walls.