Safeguarding the Capital's Architectural Legacy: A City Rebuilding Itself Under the Threat of War.

Lesia Danylenko proudly presented her freshly fitted front door. The restoration team had affectionately dubbed its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a playful reference to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a showy bird,” she commented, admiring its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was made possible by residents, who celebrated with two lively pavement parties.

It was also an demonstration of opposition towards an invading force, she clarified: “Our aim is to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of staying in our country. I could have left, moving away to a foreign land. Instead, I’m here. The new entrance shows our allegiance to our homeland.”

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

Safeguarding Kyiv’s built legacy seems paradoxical at a time when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, aerial raids have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers seal broken windows with plywood and try, where possible, to secure residential buildings.

Within the Conflict, a Battle for Beauty

In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been striving to preserve 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 prosperous fur dealer. Its exterior is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and delicate camomile flowers.

“These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare nowadays,” Danylenko said. The mansion was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings close by display similar art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a medieval spire on one side and a small tower on the other. One popular house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil.

Multiple Challenges to Legacy

But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who knock down listed buildings, dishonest officials and a governing class unconcerned or opposed to the city’s profound architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another difficulty.

“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We are missing genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s leadership was closely associated with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov added that the vision for the capital comes straight out of 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 engaged in combat or had been fallen. The protracted conflict meant that the entire society was facing economic hardship, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.

Destruction and Neglect

One egregious location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had agreed to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, watched by a surly 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 previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, redesigning its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions.

Carrying the Torch

One of Kyiv’s most notable defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was fell in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his vital preservation work. There were originally 3,500 stone mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their period doors are still in existence, she said.

“It was not foreign rockets that got rid of them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we don’t defend architecture now nothing will be left,” she emphasized. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character creeper-covered house built in 1910, which serves 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 last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left.”

The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “incredibly atmospheric and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not value the past? “Regrettably they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from civilization,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking remained, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.

Therapy in Restoration

Some buildings are falling apart 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 smashed windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she conceded. “This activity is therapy for us. We are attempting to save all this past and splendour.”

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