Preserving Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Reconstructing Itself in the Shadow of Conflict.

Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its ornate transom window the “pastry”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, appreciating its branch-like details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who marked the occasion with a couple of lively pavement parties.

It was also an expression of defiance in the face of a foreign power, she elaborated: “We are trying to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the most positive way. We’re not afraid of living in Ukraine. I had the option to depart, starting anew to another European nation. Conversely, 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 arranging our life in the best possible way.”

Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered strange at a period when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been notably increased. After each strike, workers cover broken windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Campaign for Beauty

In the midst of war, a band of activists has been striving to save 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 first the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its exterior is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.

“They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce nowadays,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit similar art nouveau features, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One much-loved house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Dangers to History

But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who knock down listed buildings, unethical officials and a governing class indifferent or resistant to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate presents another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack real 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 added that the plan for the capital harks back to a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, saying they originate from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been killed. The protracted 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 persists the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he argued.

Demolition and Neglect

One notorious demolition site is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the full-scale invasion, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, monitored by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was not much hope for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also inflicted immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could facilitate large-scale parades.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most prominent advocates of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were carrying on his vital preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said.

“It wasn’t foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique ivy-draped house built in 1910, which functions 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 go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not appreciate the past? “Regrettably they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still not yet close from that standard,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Resilience in Preservation

Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons made their home among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we lose the battle,” she conceded. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this history and aesthetic value.”

In the face of conflict and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, arguing that to save a city’s identity, you must first save its history.