🔗 Share this article Protecting Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: A City Reconstructing Its Foundations Amidst the Onslaught of War. Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, gazing at its twig-detailed features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with two impromptu pavement parties. It was also an act of resistance in the face of a neighboring state, she explained: “We strive to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of living in our homeland. I could have left, relocating to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.” “We are trying to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way.” Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy may appear strange at a moment when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to secure residential buildings. Amid the Conflict, a Fight for Beauty Despite the violence, a group of activists has been striving to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers. “They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase comparable art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area features two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp. Multiple Challenges to History But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish protected buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class apathetic or opposed to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another difficulty. “Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the concept for the capital harks back to a bygone era. The mayor denies these claims, attributing them from political rivals. Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected 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 judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he contended. Demolition and Disregard One egregious location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its charming brick facade. Shortly following the onset of major hostilities, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, observed by a surly security guard. Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while asserting they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles. Carrying the Torch One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was killed in 2022 while engaged in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said. “It was not aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. 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 doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and authentic railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing 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 appreciate the past? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to go to the west. But we are still a way off from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added. Hope in Preservation Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are attempting to save all this past and splendour.” In the face of conflict and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, arguing that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first save its stones.
Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. The restoration team had playfully nicknamed its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “Personally, I believe it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, gazing at its twig-detailed features. The refurbishment initiative at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with two impromptu pavement parties. It was also an act of resistance in the face of a neighboring state, she explained: “We strive to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of living in our homeland. I could have left, relocating to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.” “We are trying to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way.” Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy may appear strange at a moment when drone attacks routinely fall the capital, bringing death and destruction. Since the beginning of the current year, bombing campaigns have been dramatically stepped up. After each assault, workers board up shattered windows with plywood and try, where possible, to secure residential buildings. Amid the Conflict, a Fight for Beauty Despite the violence, a group of activists has been striving to preserve the city’s deteriorating mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was constructed in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is adorned with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers. “They are symbols of Kyiv. These properties are uncommon in the present day,” Danylenko said. The residence was designed by a designer of Central European origin. Several other buildings nearby showcase comparable art nouveau elements, including an irregular shape – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area features two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp. Multiple Challenges to History But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish protected buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class apathetic or opposed to the city’s rich architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another difficulty. “Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He asserted the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov stated that the concept for the capital harks back to a bygone era. The mayor denies these claims, attributing them from political rivals. Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once protected 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 judicial figures who inexplicably ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see decline of our society and public institutions,” he contended. Demolition and Disregard One egregious location of loss is in the waterside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had pledged to preserve its charming brick facade. Shortly following the onset of major hostilities, excavators demolished it. Recently, a crane excavated foundations for a new retail and office development, observed by a surly security guard. Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining blue-green houses on the site. Sometimes developers levelled old properties while asserting they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles. Carrying the Torch One of Kyiv’s most renowned defenders of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was killed in 2022 while engaged in a contested area. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his vital preservation work. There were initially 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s successful business magnates. Only 80 of their period doors survived, she said. “It was not aerial bombardments that destroyed them. It was us,” she lamented. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. 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 doubles as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and authentic railings; inside is a vintage sanitary facility and antique mirrors. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing 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 appreciate the past? “Sadly they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to go to the west. But we are still a way off from civilization,” he said. Previous ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added. Hope in Preservation Some buildings are collapsing because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had caved in; pigeons roosted among its broken windows; rubbish lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we are unsuccessful,” she conceded. “Preservation work is a coping mechanism for us. We are attempting to save all this past and splendour.” In the face of conflict and neglect, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, arguing that to preserve a city’s heart, you must first save its stones.