Protecting the Capital's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Rebuilding Its Foundations in the Shadow of War.

Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. Volunteers had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, gazing at its tree limb-inspired details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with two impromptu pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of defiance towards a foreign power, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like everyday people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in our homeland. I had the option to depart, relocating to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our dedication to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy may appear unusual at a time when aerial assaults regularly target the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the beginning 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 salvage residential buildings.

Amid the Bombs, a Battle for History

Amid the bombs, a group 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 central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon today,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by display analogous art nouveau elements, including asymmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Multiple Threats to Heritage

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who knock down listed buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body unconcerned or opposed to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate presents another burden.

“Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We don’t have 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 concept for the capital harks back to a different time. The mayor has refuted these claims, stating they come 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 everyone was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he remarked.

Demolition and Abandonment

One glaring location of loss is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who obtained the plot had committed to preserve its attractive brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new retail and office development, watched 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 demolished old properties while claiming they were doing “archaeological research”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.

Continuing the Work

One of Kyiv’s most renowned champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was killed in 2022 while fighting in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important 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 period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not aerial bombardments 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 emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character creeper-covered house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and original-style railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many locals not cherish the past? “Regrettably they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to integrate with the west. But we are still a way off from such cultural awareness,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people reluctant to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added.

Therapy in Preservation

Some buildings are crumbling because of official neglect. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a fairytale tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she conceded. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and beauty.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these volunteers continue their work, one building at a time, stating that to save a city’s soul, you must first protect its stones.