Safeguarding Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, admiring its twig-detailed features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance towards an invading force, she clarified: “We strive to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of staying in our homeland. I could have left, moving away to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear unusual at a period when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each strike, workers board up broken windows with plywood and try, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Fight for Identity

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been working to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was first the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce today,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings close by showcase analogous art nouveau characteristics, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Threats to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze protected buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body unconcerned or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been killed. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing financial problems, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Destruction and Neglect

One notorious demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had committed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the onset of major hostilities, excavators razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new commercial complex, watched by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers demolished old properties while stating they were doing “archaeological research”, 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 accommodate official processions.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent defenders of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was lost his life in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said.

“It was not external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now not a thing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique ivy-draped 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 period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not cherish the past? “Regrettably they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to go to the west. But we are still a way off from such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Resilience in Restoration

Some buildings are collapsing because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she acknowledged. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this history and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to save a city’s identity, you must first cherish its stones.