Safeguarding the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Itself in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. Volunteers had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a lighthearted tribute to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she stated, appreciating its twig-detailed ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of defiance against an invading force, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the optimal way. We have no fear of living in Ukraine. The possibility to emigrate existed, relocating to Italy. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.”

“We are trying to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s historic buildings seems strange at a time when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers seal blown-out windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Amid the Bombs, a Campaign for History

Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been working to conserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was first the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce today,” Danylenko said. The building was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby display analogous art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Threats to History

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who knock down protected buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body apathetic or hostile to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate imposes another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have 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 comes straight out of a different time. The mayor denies these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now engaged in combat or had been lost. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see decline of our society and state bodies,” he argued.

Destruction and Disregard

One notorious 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 committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new shopping and business centre, watched by a surly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while asserting they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

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

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that eliminated them. It was us,” she said with regret. “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 serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new crimson entrance and period-correct railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not appreciate the past? “Sadly 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 such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she conceded. “This activity is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this past and beauty.”

In the face of war and commercial interests, these activists continue their work, one facade at a time, arguing that to rebuild a city’s identity, you must first cherish its history.