Safeguarding the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her freshly fitted front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, gazing at its twig-detailed ornamentation. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with several neighbourhood pavement parties.

It was also an expression of opposition towards an invading force, she clarified: “We strive to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of living in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, moving away to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our dedication to our homeland.”

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

Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear strange at a period when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers board up broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Within the Explosions, a Battle for Identity

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been working to save the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its exterior is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity display comparable art nouveau elements, including a lack of symmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Threats to Heritage

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze historically significant buildings, unethical officials and a administrative body apathetic or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another challenge.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing substantive political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who bulldoze important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of a different time. The mayor has refuted these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once championed older properties were now serving in the military or had been fallen. The lengthy conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he argued.

Demolition and Neglect

One egregious demolition site is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared 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 coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while asserting they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A former political system also wrought immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate military vehicles.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was fell in 2022 while serving in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his crucial preservation work. There were originally 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their authentic doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t aerial bombardments that got rid of them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing 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 doubles 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 continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s tenant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not appreciate the past? “Unfortunately 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 some distance away from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking persisted, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Therapy in Restoration

Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna showed a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she admitted. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this history and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one facade at a time, arguing that to preserve a city’s identity, you must first cherish its walls.