In the center of the capital, an ancient building has been crumbling for decades
In Kyiv, just a few hundred meters from Independence Square, a 160-year-old historic building that once belonged to the prominent icon painter Oleksandr Murashko is gradually deteriorating. Next year, Ukraine will celebrate the 150th anniversary of his birth. Despite its historical significance, the city authorities have taken a passive stance, essentially ignoring the preservation of this landmark. Only one resident of the building has been trying to protect this unique architectural complex for many years. KASHYTAN NEWS investigated the situation
Historical Background
The Murashko estate is located in the center of Kyiv at Mala Zhitomyrska Street, 14-a and 14-b. It consists of two buildings: a mansion and a rental house with an annex.
5 In the mid-19th century, the estate belonged to counselor Florentiy Brovinsky and his wife. However, in 1894, the new owner became Kyiv merchant of the 2nd guild and master of iconostases Oleksandr Murashko. In 1898, he built a three-story rental house, which stretched along the entire right side of the plot, parallel to the main facade. The house consisted of three three-room and three seven-room apartments that were rented out. The lower level housed a shop, a cellar, and two kitchens. After Murashko's death in 1910, ownership of the estate passed to his son Oleksandr. However, in March 1914, he sold the estate, where an iconostasis workshop continued to operate for some time. The Bolshevik authorities nationalized the estate and converted it into communal apartments. In the 1930s, a House of Culture for the Blind operated here.
The Historic Building and Modernity
Thus, the Murashko estate consists of two buildings, while two other buildings constitute a different estate that stands adjacent to it.
In 2008, the Murashko estate, which by then had already been designated a national historical and architectural monument, was transferred to private ownership of the companies "Panteon-Invest" and "Vestiga" with the support of then-mayor of Kyiv Leonid Chernovetsky. Residents of the building began to be relocated to Troieshchyna.
6 The new owners planned to demolish all the buildings and construct a hotel-residential complex on the freed land. However, in May 2009, the Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments miraculously managed to include the Murashko estate in the "Red Book of Cultural Heritage of Ukraine." This temporarily postponed its destruction but unfortunately did not save it from further decline.
The Demise of the Estate
The commotion surrounding the events around the ancient buildings in the center of Kyiv eventually attracted the attention of law enforcement. In late March 2011, the Kyiv prosecutor's office opened a "factual" criminal investigation. In October of the same year, the purchase and sale contracts for the buildings were declared invalid. Furthermore, by court order, the owners were obliged to return the buildings to the communal ownership of the city.
7 However, the abandoned Murashko estate was neglected by any representatives of the Kyiv authorities, leading to its gradual decline. The buildings developed progressive through cracks in the load-bearing external and internal walls and partitions, and the premises became filled with trash.
The neglected state of the site led to tragedy: on the night of June 28, 2013, a major fire broke out in one of the buildings, engulfing approximately 2400 square meters.
Only in November 2016 did emergency and conservation works begin. For this, 1.5 million hryvnias were allocated from the city budget.
The Last Owner
“The complex of buildings was illegally declared emergency, and under the guise of this false emergency, residents were evicted. Only one of them — Oleksandr Hlukhov — staunchly protested against the eviction and remained in his home,” commented Kyiv heritage protector and co-founder of the NGO "Heritage" Dmytro Perov.
According to him, Oleksandr Hlukhov, a candidate of physical and mathematical sciences and associate professor at NAU, is the only resident who has not moved out and has been fighting for the preservation of the estate since 1995.
8 “He defended in court the return of the monument to communal ownership and protected the building from demolition when plans were underway to construct a shopping center here,” Perov added.
He noted that to force the defiant resident to leave the building, utility workers cut off his water, gas, and electricity. However, even these harsh and sometimes cruel measures did not sway Oleksandr Hlukhov from his decision. He still lives in his home with his ailing wife.
In defending his right to live in his own apartment, Hlukhov has fought in Ukrainian courts for over 15 years. And surprisingly, he has achieved success.
Plans for Restoration
Some time ago, Perov recounts, the notoriously famous building was personally visited by Vitali Klitschko, who after the inspection stated that the Murashko estate would be restored, as it is an important landmark for Kyiv.
A so-called “restoration project with adaptation” was developed for this purpose. However, prior to this, specialists conducted an assessment of the buildings and issued a verdict that all structures were in a state of emergency. Given this, it was necessary to relocate... the only remaining resident in the building — Oleksandr Hlukhov.
9 Interestingly, as Perov points out, Hlukhov's residence did not hinder the emergency works from proceeding, as they began in other buildings that did not affect the one where the man lived, since it is located on a neighboring plot.
According to Perov, the developed restoration project envisaged dismantling all internal structures of the building, leaving only the “shell” of the structure. Additionally, there were plans to add two more floors. As a result, work at the site did finally get underway — emergency works commenced. In particular, the “insides” of the building where Murashko's creative workshops once were were dismantled, and the roof was removed.
0 However, the work then halted and has not taken place for several years. Meanwhile, the building has remained without a roof and continues to deteriorate under the influence of the elements.
“So, the good intentions — emergency and restoration works, which turned out to be unfinished, only worsened the estate’s condition than it was. Although the buildings were semi-ruined, they had a roof. Now, all precipitation is directly entering the building, accelerating its destruction,” Perov states.
By the way, the protective status of the estate has not been revoked, and it continues to be a historical monument. However, in reality, we have a situation where the inaction of the city authorities may lead to the point where nothing can be done with the estate except for its demolition.
Authorities and History
The attitude of the city authorities towards Kyiv's antiquity is vividly illustrated by the following fact.
As Oleksandr Hlukhov wrote on his social media page, on November 8, a presentation of a book by renowned researcher Daria Dobriyan about Oleksandr Murashko's famous painting "Annunciation" took place in Kyiv. This event was dedicated to two commemorative dates — the 125th anniversary of the National Art Museum of Ukraine and the 150th anniversary of Oleksandr Murashko's birth.
“Everything was wonderful. Many Kyiv residents attended. Not a single official from the Kyiv City State Administration and not a single member of the Kyiv City Council was present,” the scientist noted.
Can Anything Change?
In Oleksandr Hlukhov's opinion, the problem with the Murashko estate is not as critical as it may seem at first glance.
“What prevents our authorities from bringing the estate into order? Of course, we need to ask them, but I fear that we won’t get a clear and understandable answer. I think that what primarily hinders (this is our favorite phrase) is the lack of political will,” Hlukhov said.
1 In principle, he added, it is clear to everyone what needs to be done, but the hopeless situation, as someone once humorously said, is one that we do not like for some reason.
In this context, the scholar reminded that in a similarly hopeless situation, besides the Murashko estate, are the Sikorsky estate, the Mikhelsen estate, the Guest House, and many other old buildings in Kyiv that someone has an eye on.