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

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a playful reference to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she remarked, gazing at its tree limb-inspired features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with a couple of neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an act of opposition in the face of a neighboring state, she explained: “Our aim is to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of living in our country. I had the option to depart, starting anew to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our commitment to our homeland.”

“We strive to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way.”

Safeguarding Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear paradoxical at a moment when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers seal blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Amid the Explosions, a Fight for Identity

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been striving to conserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a distinctive 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 outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon nowadays,” Danylenko stated. The mansion was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit comparable art nouveau characteristics, including asymmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Dual Dangers to Heritage

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who knock down listed buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body indifferent or hostile to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have genuine 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 destroy important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital harks back to a different time. 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 serving in the military or had been lost. The lengthy conflict meant that everyone was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he contended.

Loss and Abandonment

One glaring demolition site is in the waterside 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, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new shopping and business centre, 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 demolished old properties while stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A former political system also wrought immense damage on the capital, redesigning its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate large-scale parades.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was lost his life in 2022 while serving in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s successful industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful creeper-covered house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Sadly they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Restoration

Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its shattered windows; refuse lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she conceded. “This activity is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and beauty.”

In the face of conflict and development pressures, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to save a city’s heart, you must first protect its walls.