After weeks of public pressure, Kyiv authorities have granted city protection to the endangered modernist building “Kvity Ukrainy” (“Flowers of Ukraine”).
The Department of Cultural Heritage Protection of the Kyiv City State Administration included the building on the list of the capital’s cultural heritage sites, Kyiv mayor deputy Volodymyr Prokopiv announced on Aug. 3.
The remarkable 1985 building located in central Kyiv is known for its cascading shape and distinct grapevine-covered façade. It is under a threat to be turned into a glass office building by developer PrJSC Flowers of Ukraine, losing its iconic look and repeating the faith of the many historical structures falling victim to business developers.
The reconstruction plan of the building’s new owners, two private investors from the international investment fund Rockwill Group, surfaced online in June. It sparked outrage in Kyiv causing a whole activist movement to fight for its preservation.
According to Ukrainian law, under the status of a newly discovered cultural heritage site, the building is subject to protection.
The owner is obliged to sign an agreement with the administration on protecting the building within a month. The developer must now receive approval for a reconstruction plan and written permission for any construction works from the city authorities. Until then, any work at the site is prohibited.
The Kyiv administration also sent a request to the Ministry of Culture to include the building in Ukraine’s cultural heritage register.
In Soviet times, Flowers of Ukraine housed a plant research center, a greenhouse, a flower market and an art exhibition space. During independence, the building was mostly rented out and has remained empty over the last two years.
Read more: Activists have had enough of historic buildings neglect
Despite protests and public disapproval, the developers started demolishing the building’s façade on July 12. A group of activists dismantled the fence, blocked construction vehicles and organized round-the-clock shifts near the building.
On July 13, the building was seized for the period of pre-trial investigation, prohibiting any construction works on the site.
Later on July 20, the owners started installing a new fence around the building, but the Kyiv administration dismantled it on July 28.
