Lesia Danylenko showed off with satisfaction her recently completed front door. Volunteers had given the moniker its elegant transom window the “crescent roll”, a playful reference to its arched shape. “I think it’s more of a peafowl,” she commented, admiring its tree limb-inspired ornamentation. The renovation effort at one of Kyiv’s pre-World War I art nouveau houses was supported by residents, who commemorated the work with a couple of lively pavement parties.
It was also an demonstration of resistance in the face of a neighboring state, she clarified: “We strive to live like ordinary people regardless of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way. Fear does not drive us of remaining in our homeland. The possibility to emigrate existed, starting anew to another European nation. On the contrary, I’m here. The new entrance shows our dedication to our homeland.”
“We strive to live like ordinary people in spite of the war. It’s about organizing our life in the best possible way.”
Protecting Kyiv’s architectural heritage may appear unusual at a time when drone attacks frequently hit the capital, causing death and destruction. Since the onset of the current year, offensive operations have been dramatically stepped up. After each attack, workers seal broken windows with plywood and try, where possible, to secure residential buildings.
Amid the Conflict, a Battle for History
Amid the bombs, a collective of activists has been working to conserve the city’s decaying mansions, built in a distinctive style known as Ukrainian modernism. Danylenko’s house is in the central Shevchenkivskyi district. It was built in 1906 and was originally the home of a affluent fur dealer. Its facade is decorated with horse chestnut leaves and fine camomile flowers.
“These buildings represent 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 in the vicinity showcase similar art nouveau features, including asymmetry – with a pointed turret on one side and a turret on the other. One much-loved house in the area displays two unhappy white stucco cats, as well as owls, masks and a demonic figure.
Multiple Challenges to History
But external attacks is only one threat. Preservation campaigners say they face profit-driven developers who demolish protected buildings, corrupt officials and a administrative body apathetic or opposed to the city’s rich architectural history. The harsh winter climate adds another burden.
“Kyiv is a city where capital prevails. We don’t have real political will to save our heritage,” said Dmytro Perov, an activist. He alleged the city’s mayor was closely associated with many of the developers who flatten important houses. Perov stated that the concept for the capital is reminiscent of a previous decade. The mayor denies these claims, stating they come from political rivals.
Perov said many of the public-spirited activists who once defended older properties were now serving in the military or had been lost. The ongoing conflict meant that the entire society was facing economic hardship, he added, including those in the legal system who mysteriously ruled in favour of dubious new-build schemes. “The longer this continues the more we see degradation of our society and governing institutions,” he contended.
Loss and Abandonment
One notorious example of destruction is in the historic Podil neighbourhood. The street was home to classical 19th-century houses. A developer who acquired the plot had committed to preserve its charming brick facade. A day after the full-scale invasion, excavators razed it to the ground. Recently, a crane prepared foundations for a new retail and office development, watched by a surly security guard.
Anatolii Pohorily, a heritage supporter, said there was faint chance for the remaining turquoise-painted houses on the site. Sometimes developers destroyed old properties while claiming they were doing “scientific study”, he said. A previous regime also caused immense damage on the capital, reconstructing its central boulevard after the second world war so it could allow for large-scale parades.
Continuing the Work
One of Kyiv’s most renowned advocates of historic buildings, a heritage expert, was lost his life 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 initially 3,500 brick-built mansions in Kyiv, many built for the city’s prosperous business magnates. Only 80 of their original doors remain, she said.
“It wasn’t external attacks that eliminated them. It was us,” she said with regret. “The war could continue for another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now not a thing will be left,” she added. Chudna recently helped to restore a full of character vine-clad house built in 1910, which functions as the headquarters of her cultural organization and also serves as a film set and museum. The property has a new red door and period-correct railings; inside is a period bathroom and antique mirrors.
“The war could last another 20 years. If we neglect architecture now nothing will be left.”
The building’s occupant, artist Yurii Pikul, described his home as “very cool and a little bit cold”. Why do many residents not appreciate the past? “Regrettably they do not have education and taste. It’s all about business. We are attempting as a country to move towards the west. But we are still some distance away from that standard,” he said. Outdated ways of thinking persisted, with people unwilling to take personal responsibility for their architectural setting, he added.
Hope in Restoration
Some buildings are falling apart because of institutional abandonment. Chudna indicated a once-magical villa tucked away behind a modern hospital. Its roof had collapsed; pigeons made their home among its shattered windows; rubbish lay under a fairytale tower. “Many times we are unsuccessful,” she acknowledged. “Preservation work is a form of healing for us. We are trying to save all this past and beauty.”
In the face of war and commercial interests, these citizens continue their work, one facade at a time, stating that to save a city’s heart, you must first protect its stones.
