The ongoing reconstruction of Andriyivsky Uzviz, one of the city’s most atmospheric streets, is unprofessional and threatens to damage this unique corner of Kyiv, according to a recent statement released by its residents.
Their conclusion was based on a study of the multi-million dollar project done by city architects.
The study was performed by the Ukrainian National Architects’ Union, at the request of the residents, entrepreneurs and cultural organizations that are affected by the reconstruction that started last September.
Kyiv’s Mikhail Bulgakov Museum and Koleso Theater, both located on Andriyivsky Uzviv, were among the financial contributors.
The lives of local residents and businesses were affected by the reconstruction that city officials say was necessary to revamp aging underground sewage and telecommunications.
But critics claim the reconstruction was badly planned and is being poorly conducted. The Bulgakov Museum, for example, closed intermittently, while Koleso and many other businesses lost many visitors and much vital income because the street has been dug up for months.
According to Khreshchatyk, the official newspaper for the Kyiv city council, the authorities still claim reconstruction will be done by May 25 – Kyiv Day. According to the paper, 200 workers are involved.
It is basically not reconstruction, but building works,
– Georgiy Dukhovychniy, an architect and vice president of UNESCO in Kyiv.
But some are skeptical of this estimate and there has been talk that the reconstruction will last through fall.
“We don’t hold exibitions because of the reconstruction work. We can’t function normally. Today [April 4] workers didn’t let people walk up the street and I had to go through Peysazhna alley, ” said Lina Romanuha, art manager of Karas Gallery.
“I am pessimistic about the official estimate of reconstruction. I don’t think they can make it in time. But they can force it to be done as soon as possible, just as a cosmetic repair and then keep reconstructing everything else for a long time on,” Romanuha added.
The architects who studied the state of reconstruction came to a series of disturbing conclusions, according to Oleksandr Bryhynets, head of the culture and tourism commission at the city council. He said on March 29 that the street work is being conducted by the Podil district administration, and has nothing to do with architectural reconstruction of the ancient street that originally appeared in the city around the 10th century.
“It is basically not reconstruction, but building works,” said Georgiy Dukhovychniy, an architect and vice president of UNESCO in Kyiv. “They don’t even have a reconstruction plan.”
The Podil administration had no immediate comments about the new study.
One of architects’ greatest worries is that the street will be covered in concrete, and then cobblestones will be paved to give the street a close-to-the-original look.
Dukhovychniy says the workers fill the ditches dug up to replace communications with a mix of frozen soil, snow and ice. He said this can lead to landslides and cause damage to surrounding buildings and traffic on the street.
Dukhovychniy also said that 25-30 percent of the buildings located on the street are already cracking. The cracks are substantial and cannot be repaired by simple facade plastering, he added.
Andriyivsky has been through many reconstructions, but the previous ones “had been done much more professionally,” according to Oleksandr Kolesnikov, an architect on the team that supervised the previous reconstruction in the 1980s.
“Andriyivsky Uzviz is one of the last really authentic parts of ancient Kyiv. And Kyivans should finally understand that this is what we should all stand up in defense for,” Dukhovychniy says.
Kyiv Post staff writer Daryna Shevchenko can be reached at [email protected].
