🔗 Share this article Preserving the Capital's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Rebuilding Itself Amidst the Onslaught of Conflict. Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, gazing at its branch-like ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with two neighbourhood pavement parties. It was also an demonstration of resistance in the face of a foreign power, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of staying in our homeland. I could have left, moving away to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.” “Our aim is to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way.” Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear unusual at a period when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers cover broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings. Within the Explosions, a Fight for Beauty In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a playful 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 outer walls is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers. “These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The building was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby display comparable art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp. Several Dangers to Heritage But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish listed buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership indifferent or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another difficulty. “Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor has refuted these claims, saying they originate from political rivals. Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once championed older properties were now serving in the military or had been fallen. The ongoing conflict meant that everyone 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 deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he remarked. Demolition and Abandonment One egregious example of destruction is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a unfriendly security guard. Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions. Continuing the Work One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said. “It wasn’t foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful creeper-covered house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and original-style railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left.” The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Regrettably 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 such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added. Hope in Action Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; refuse lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she conceded. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and splendour.” In the face of war and development pressures, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, arguing that to preserve a city’s soul, you must first save its walls.
Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. Local helpers had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “croissant”, a whimsical nod to its arched shape. “In my opinion it’s more of a peafowl,” she stated, gazing at its branch-like ornamentation. The restoration project at one of Kyiv’s early 20th-century art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who celebrated with two neighbourhood pavement parties. It was also an demonstration of resistance in the face of a foreign power, she elaborated: “Our aim is to live like normal people despite the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way. We have no fear of staying in our homeland. I could have left, moving away to Italy. Conversely, I’m here. The new entrance symbolizes our commitment to our homeland.” “Our aim is to live like everyday people despite the war. It’s about shaping our life in the best possible way.” Protecting Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear unusual at a period when missile strikes routinely fall the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, bombing campaigns have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers cover broken windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings. Within the Explosions, a Fight for Beauty In the midst of war, a collective of activists has been attempting to conserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a playful 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 outer walls is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and intricate camomile flowers. “These buildings represent symbols of Kyiv. These properties are increasingly scarce in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The building was designed by an architect of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby display comparable art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One beloved house in the area boasts two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a imp. Several Dangers to Heritage But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish listed buildings, unethical officials and a political leadership indifferent or hostile to the city’s vast architectural history. The bitter winter climate presents another difficulty. “Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We lack genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was allied with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov further alleged that the plan for the capital comes straight out of a different time. The mayor has refuted these claims, saying they originate from political rivals. Perov said many of the community-oriented activists who once championed older properties were now serving in the military or had been fallen. The ongoing conflict meant that everyone 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 deterioration of our society and governing institutions,” he remarked. Demolition and Abandonment One egregious example of destruction is in the riverside Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its attractive brick facade. Shortly following the full-scale invasion, heavy machinery demolished it. Recently, a crane dug foundations for a new commercial complex, observed by a unfriendly security guard. Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining coloured houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while stating they were doing “historical excavation”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, rebuilding its main thoroughfare after the second world war so it could facilitate official processions. Continuing the Work One of Kyiv’s most prominent champions of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life in 2022 while engaged in a eastern city. His colleague Nelli Chudna said she and other volunteers were persevering in his crucial preservation work. There were at one time 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s wealthy business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors survived, she said. “It wasn’t foreign rockets that destroyed them. It was us,” she admitted sadly. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now little will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a characterful creeper-covered house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and operates as a film set and museum. The property has a new vermilion portal and original-style railings; inside is a historic washroom and antique mirrors. “The war could go on for another 20 years. If we fail to protect architecture now not a thing will be left.” The building’s resident, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “quite special and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not cherish the past? “Regrettably 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 such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking remained, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their built surroundings, he added. Hope in Action Some buildings are crumbling because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its broken windows; refuse lay under a storybook tower. “Frequently we don’t win,” she conceded. “This activity is a coping mechanism for us. We are striving to save all this heritage and splendour.” In the face of war and development pressures, these volunteers continue their work, one door at a time, arguing that to preserve a city’s soul, you must first save its walls.