🔗 Share this article Safeguarding Kyiv's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Reconstructing Its Foundations Under the Threat of Conflict. Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, gazing at its twig-detailed details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with two lively pavement parties. It was also an act of resistance towards an invading force, she clarified: “We are trying to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of staying in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.” “We strive to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way.” Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered paradoxical at a period when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers board up broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings. Amid the Explosions, a Campaign for Identity Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been striving to conserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was originally 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 today,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit similar art nouveau characteristics, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure. Dual Threats to History But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who demolish listed buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class indifferent or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another difficulty. “Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing substantive 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 flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals. Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that everyone was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he contended. Loss and Abandonment One notorious example of destruction is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, observed 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 stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions. Carrying the Torch One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was killed in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said. “It was not foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique vine-clad house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and authentic railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left.” The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not value the past? “Unfortunately they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to go to the west. But we are still a way off from that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking persisted, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added. Hope in Action Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we lose the battle,” she conceded. “This activity is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this past and beauty.” In the face of destruction and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one building at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first protect its walls.
Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her newly installed front door. The restoration team had given the moniker its ornate transom window the “crescent roll”, a whimsical nod to its bowed shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, gazing at its twig-detailed details. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who marked the occasion with two lively pavement parties. It was also an act of resistance towards an invading force, she clarified: “We are trying to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of staying in our country. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to a foreign land. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance represents our allegiance to our homeland.” “We strive to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the most positive way.” Preserving Kyiv’s built legacy could be considered paradoxical at a period when missile strikes frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, offensive operations have been significantly intensified. After each assault, workers board up broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to salvage residential buildings. Amid the Explosions, a Campaign for Identity Amid the bombs, a group of activists has been striving to conserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a whimsical style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the historic Shevchenkivskyi district. It was erected in 1906 and was originally 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 today,” Danylenko stated. The residence was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings in the vicinity exhibit similar art nouveau characteristics, including an irregular shape – with a medieval spire on one side and a projection on the other. One beloved house in the area displays two sullen white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure. Dual Threats to History But military aggression is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unscrupulous developers who demolish listed buildings, corrupt officials and a governing class indifferent or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another difficulty. “Kyiv is a city where wealth dictates. We are missing substantive 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 flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the vision for the capital is reminiscent of a bygone era. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals. Perov said many of the civically minded activists who once defended older properties were now engaged in combat or had been killed. The lengthy conflict meant that everyone was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see degradation of our society and state bodies,” he contended. Loss and Abandonment One notorious example of destruction is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had agreed to preserve its attractive brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, diggers tore it down. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, observed 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 stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A 20th-century empire also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could accommodate official processions. Carrying the Torch One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a cultural activist, was killed in 2022 while fighting in the frontline. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were continuing his crucial preservation work. There were initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many erected for the city’s successful entrepreneurs. Only 80 of their original doors are still in existence, she said. “It was not foreign rockets that eliminated them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now little will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a unique vine-clad house built in 1910, which serves as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and authentic railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left.” The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not value the past? “Unfortunately they are without education and taste. It’s all about business. We are striving as a country to go to the west. But we are still a way off from that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking persisted, with people hesitant to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added. Hope in Action Some buildings are crumbling because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa hidden behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; debris lay under a whimsical tower. “Often we lose the battle,” she conceded. “This activity is therapy for us. We are striving to save all this past and beauty.” In the face of destruction and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one building at a time, believing that to rebuild a city’s soul, you must first protect its walls.