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

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her freshly fitted front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “pastry”, a playful reference to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peacock,” she commented, admiring its twig-detailed ornamentation. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who marked the occasion with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition against an invading force, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of staying in our homeland. I could have left, starting anew to Italy. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the optimal way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage could be considered strange at a time when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers cover blown-out windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Among the Conflict, a Battle for Identity

Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s crumbling 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 originally the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase similar art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area features two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Dangers to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who raze listed buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body apathetic or resistant to the city’s profound architectural history. The bitter winter climate imposes another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have genuine 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 flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the concept for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor has refuted these claims, attributing them from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once defended older properties were now serving in the military or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see decline of our society and state bodies,” he contended.

Demolition and Abandonment

One egregious demolition site is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. Shortly following the onset of major hostilities, heavy machinery tore it down. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while claiming they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A former political system also wrought immense damage on the capital, redesigning its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while fighting in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his important preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s prosperous entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their authentic doors survived, she said.

“It was not external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character 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 red door and authentic railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors.

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

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not value 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 not yet close from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Action

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; refuse lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “Restoration is a form of healing for us. We are trying to save all this past and aesthetic value.”

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