“Kvity Ukrayiny”

The unique modernist pavilion on Sichovykh Striltsiv street in Kyiv was so overgrown with grape ivy that both locals and the city government stopped noticing it. In June 2021, the building was under the threat of demolition.

“Kvity Ukrayiny” Pavilion

The owners planned to build an office center there as tall as the neighboring nine-story building with a superstructure and underground parking. They began dismantling the building without the necessary permits from the city government. Then concerned citizens opposed the destruction and stopped the construction equipment.

6500 Kyiv residents signed an open letter to the Ministry of Culture with a request to include “Kvity Ukrainy” (which means "Flowers of Ukraine") on the National architectural landmarks register. Even earlier, several dozen Kyivans sent a letter to The Renovation Map with a request to investigate the value of the building and the grounds for listing it as a landmark.

Even earlier, a few dozen Kyiv residents sent a letter to the Renovation Map with a request to investigate the value of the building and the grounds for granting it a protective status.

A protest near the building

We have researched and documented the unique architectural features of the building, its spatial and interior design, architectural-historical context — all that is valuable in the opinion of architects, monument connoisseurs and architectural historians. Involving researchers, historians, architects, and specialized scientists, we created accounting documentation.

Main facade after reconstruction was stopped

“Kvity Ukrainy” received the status of "recently discovered cultural heritage" issued by the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection. As a next step, the building received the status of "architectural monument of local importance" from the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy.

Then a large-scale confrontation began, mostly in the courts. The community, the architect (the author of the building) and members of the "Save Kvity Ukrainy" group filed a few lawsuits against the developer, for example, regarding copyright infringement.

Landmark documentation

Opponents began to pressure activists; for example, members of The Renovation Map were called for questioning as witnesses. The developer also filed a lawsuit to revoke the building’s protection status.

The Renovation Map defended the protection status of “Kvity Ukrainy” in the court together with NGO "Save Kvity Ukrainy'' and NGO "Green Minute", the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection, the Ministry of Culture, and the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office. Legal support was provided by lawyers from Axon Partners and NGO "Platforma Hromadskyi Kontrol."

In the autumn of 2022, the District Administrative Court of Kyiv canceled the protection status of the building. The Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal later satisfied the community's appeal. Therefore, the previous court decision (to revoke “Kvity Ukrainy”’s protective status) was canceled.

The “Kvity Ukrainy” building is a landmark again as it should be! Of course, this is not yet a victory, but it is a significant step to the further preservation of the monument.

The trials continue in 2024, and The Renovation Map team and partners won't stop protecting the building.

People near the court building