Safeguarding Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her newly installed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its bowed shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, appreciating its branch-like features. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who celebrated with several lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition in the face of an invading force, she clarified: “We are trying to live like everyday people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We have no fear of staying in our homeland. I could have left, relocating to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication 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 may appear unusual at a period when aerial assaults routinely fall the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been notably increased. After each attack, workers board up blown-out windows with plywood and try, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Amid the Conflict, a Fight for History

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been striving to conserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko said. The mansion was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby display similar art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a pointed turret on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp.

Multiple Challenges to Legacy

But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who demolish historically significant buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body unconcerned or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor rejects these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once championed older properties were now fighting on the frontline 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 curiously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he argued.

Demolition and Disregard

One egregious example of destruction is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a unfriendly security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while asserting they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s wealthy industrialists. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could last another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now nothing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful vine-clad 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 red door and original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not appreciate the past? “Unfortunately they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still not yet close from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated 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 tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Often we don’t win,” she conceded. “Restoration is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

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