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

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her recently completed front door. Local helpers had playfully nicknamed its ornate transom window the “croissant”, a playful reference to its bowed shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a showy bird,” she stated, admiring its branch-like details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with a couple of lively pavement parties.

It was also an act of opposition in the face of a foreign power, she clarified: “We strive to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of staying in Ukraine. I could have left, relocating to another European nation. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.”

“Our aim is to live like normal people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way.”

Protecting Kyiv’s built legacy may appear paradoxical at a time when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each strike, workers seal shattered windows with plywood and endeavor, where possible, to save residential buildings.

Among the Explosions, a Fight for Identity

Amid the bombs, a band of activists has been striving to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was first the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its outer walls is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase analogous art nouveau characteristics, including a lack of symmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area features two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.

Several Dangers to Heritage

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

“Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s leadership was friends with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov stated that the plan for the capital comes straight out of a previous decade. The mayor has refuted these claims, stating they come from political rivals.

Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended older properties were now fighting on the frontline or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that all citizens was facing monetary strain, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of suspect new-build schemes. “The longer this persists the more we see deterioration of our society and state bodies,” he argued.

Destruction and Neglect

One egregious location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was lined with classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its picturesque brick facade. Shortly following the 2022 invasion, diggers demolished it. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, observed by a stern security guard.

Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was little optimism for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while asserting they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, redesigning its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.

Upholding the Legacy

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while engaged in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his important preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous industrialists. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not external attacks that got rid of them. It was us,” she said with regret. “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 ivy-draped house built in 1910, which acts as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and original-style railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors.

“The war could last 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 value the past? “Sadly they do not have 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 that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking lingered, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added.

Hope in Preservation

Some buildings are crumbling because of official neglect. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons nested among its shattered windows; debris lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she conceded. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are attempting to save all this heritage and splendour.”

In the face of destruction and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one door at a time, stating that to preserve a city’s soul, you must first save its walls.