🔗 Share this article Safeguarding the Capital's Architectural Legacy: An Urban Center Rebuilding Its Foundations in the Shadow of War. Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a playful reference to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, admiring its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with several lively pavement parties. It was also an act of defiance towards a foreign power, she elaborated: “We strive to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of living in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.” “Our aim is to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way.” Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear paradoxical at a moment when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings. Within the Explosions, a Campaign for Identity Despite the violence, a collective of activists has been striving to conserve 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 erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers. “These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby display comparable art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil. Dual Threats to Heritage But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze listed buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body apathetic or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another difficulty. “Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of 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 engaged in combat or had been lost. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he remarked. Destruction and Disregard One egregious location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated 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 stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles. Upholding the Legacy One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell 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 originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous industrialists. 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 neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character ivy-draped 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 historic washroom and antique mirrors. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left.” The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not appreciate the past? “Regrettably they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still a way off from such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added. Hope in Action Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she admitted. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this past and beauty.” In the face of conflict and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to save a city’s identity, you must first save its history.
Lesia Danylenko beamed with pride as she displayed her recently completed front door. Local helpers had affectionately dubbed its graceful transom window the “crescent roll”, a playful reference to its curved shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she remarked, admiring its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s turn-of-the-century art nouveau houses was funded through residents, who celebrated with several lively pavement parties. It was also an act of defiance towards a foreign power, she elaborated: “We strive to live like ordinary people despite the war. It’s about arranging our life in the best possible way. We’re not afraid of living in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to a foreign land. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our commitment to our homeland.” “Our aim is to live like normal people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the most positive way.” Preserving Kyiv’s historic buildings may appear paradoxical at a moment when aerial assaults frequently hit the capital, resulting in death and destruction. Since the start of the current year, aerial raids have been significantly intensified. After each attack, workers cover shattered windows with plywood and attempt, where possible, to secure residential buildings. Within the Explosions, a Campaign for Identity Despite the violence, a collective of activists has been striving to conserve 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 erected in 1906 and was initially the home of a wealthy fur dealer. Its facade is embellished with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers. “These structures stand as symbols of Kyiv. These properties are quite rare in the present day,” Danylenko noted. The residence was designed by a designer of Austrian-German origin. Several other buildings nearby display comparable art nouveau features, including a lack of symmetry – with a gothic tower on one side and a projection on the other. One popular house in the area boasts two forlorn white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a devil. Dual Threats to Heritage But armed conflict is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face unprincipled developers who raze listed buildings, dishonest officials and a administrative body apathetic or resistant to the city’s vast architectural history. The severe winter climate adds another difficulty. “Kyiv is a city where money wins. We don’t have genuine political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He claimed the city’s mayor was friends with many of the developers who destroy important houses. Perov added that the plan for the capital is reminiscent of 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 engaged in combat or had been lost. The lengthy conflict meant that the entire society was facing monetary strain, he added, including judicial figures who mysteriously ruled in favour of questionable new-build schemes. “The longer this goes on the more we see deterioration of our society and public institutions,” he remarked. Destruction and Disregard One egregious location of loss is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was the site of classical 19th-century houses. A developer who purchased the plot had pledged to preserve its charming brick facade. In the immediate aftermath of the onset of major hostilities, diggers razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane excavated 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 stating they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also wrought immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its primary street after the second world war so it could accommodate military vehicles. Upholding the Legacy One of Kyiv’s most notable champions of historic buildings, a tour guide and blogger, was fell 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 originally 3,500 masonry mansions in Kyiv, many constructed for the city’s prosperous industrialists. 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 neglect architecture now nothing will be left,” she continued. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character ivy-draped 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 historic washroom and antique mirrors. “The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left.” The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many citizens not appreciate the past? “Regrettably they lack education and taste. It’s all about business. We are trying as a country to move towards the west. But we are still a way off from such cultural awareness,” he said. Soviet-era ways of thinking lingered, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their urban environment, he added. Hope in Action Some buildings are falling apart because of bureaucratic indifference. Chudna pointed to a once-magical villa concealed behind a modern hospital. Its roof had fallen; pigeons nested among its smashed windows; refuse lay under a storybook tower. “Many times we don’t win,” she admitted. “Restoration is a coping mechanism for us. We are trying to save all this past and beauty.” In the face of conflict and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, believing that to save a city’s identity, you must first save its history.