«The Henhouse» with a view of Sophia — a symbol of cultural heritage preservation in Kyiv

Kyiv is currently going through another wave of trials. Mass rocket attacks by Russians on the Ukrainian capital have once again exposed the long-standing and pressing issue of the deplorable state of shelters, which the authorities have rushed to address once more. At the same time, UP journalists have found a significant violation of the curfew in the capital: it turns out that restaurants in Kyiv are operating at night and even during air raids, hosting full crowds of visitors accompanied by numerous security personnel, drivers, etc., in vehicles with special passes. This situation cost one of the visitors to these dining establishments during curfew his job – the Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection of the Kyiv City State Administration, Oleksandr Nikoryak, who was relaxing in the company of a Kyiv developer. At the same time, another scandal in the area of responsibility of this official caught the public’s attention: it turned out that another floor is being illegally added to the roof of a historic building in the center of Kyiv, in violation of the law.

This is in addition to the two floors that were illegally constructed in previous years and were ordered to be dismantled by a court decision. This situation with illegal construction near the Kyiv Sophia could serve as a certain litmus test both for reflecting the current situation in the capital and for assessing our state and development from a more comprehensive perspective. After all, it concerns historical memory (and in the conditions of a war with an enemy who denies the very existence of Ukrainians, historical memory has great significance), illegal construction (one of the classic and widespread problems of Kyiv and beyond), civil society (activists are striving to halt construction and dismantle the structure).

So let’s take a closer look at the situation with the construction of the third additional floor on the roof of the historical building at  Volodymyrska Street  4 in Kyiv.

This illegal construction drew the attention of Kyiv City Council member Yevheniia Kuleba, who posted a photo of the building with the following caption: «In the morning, accompanied by the police, the Department of Urban Improvement, and the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection, we visited the roof of the building at 4 Volodymyrska Street (it has a protected status and is within the buffer zone of Saint Sophia), where they have already begun building the third illegal floor (they were challenging the enforcement orders in court) on top of the existing two. They have received the enforcement order. The construction is supposed to be dismantled. The owner is definitely unscrupulous, and there are no guarantees that they won’t challenge this order in court. Therefore, we must stay vigilant. Thank you to everyone who reported this case! Let’s not lower our guard».

In the comments to the post, Yevheniia Kuleba also published a photocopy of the order for the dismantling of the illegal structure.

Currently, the dismantling is related to a glass structure that resembles a greenhouse or, as outraged Kyivans have already dubbed it, a “henhouse.”

By the way, this is already the second version of the “henhouse” on the roof of the building at Volodymyrska Street, 4 in Kyiv. The previous attempt to create another illegal structure on the roof of the historical building took place in 2021. However, at that time, due to active citizens’ efforts, the construction was successfully halted, and the owner was forced to dismantle the structure. However, the previous two illegally constructed floors of the structure remained unchanged. Prior to the construction of the illegal additional floors in 2017, the building at  Volodymyrska Street 4 had this appearance following the reconstruction in the 2000s, according to the project by architect Yevhen Zakharchenko.

The initial structure at  Volodymyrska Street  4 was constructed back in the 1860s with only two floors. In the 1890s, the building was expanded to four floors. During the reconstruction in 2007, additional attic and mansard floors were added. Photos of the building from various periods are provided by the Pslava.info publication.

As noted by the Guide to the Cultural Heritage of Kyiv, the residential building at Volodymyrska Street 4 is situated on the foundations of a princely palace from the 10th-11th century. The building holds a significant urban position at the corner of streets that lead to the exhibition grounds of the Kyiv Infant Jesus Church and St. Andrew’s Church, playing the role of an architectural focal point.

The current rooftop addition to the building at Volodymyrska Street, 4, not only distorts the historical appearance of the building but also goes against the current General Plan of Kyiv. According to it, the building height in the historical center (the boundaries are marked on the map below) should not exceed 27 meters.

According to documents, the building at Volodymyrska Street, 4, is a 7-story residential building, with the 1st floor being semi-basement and the 7th floor being attic. Taking into account the average ceiling height of 4 meters and inter-floor ceilings, the building has already reached the limit of 27 meters, and the additional rooftop structures clearly violate the current regulations.

By the way, the «henhouse» on the roof ends up located higher than the Kyiv Saint Sophia Cathedral, which has a height of 29 meters.

It is speculated that the owner of the building, Ioannis Konstantinos Litiinas, who manages the building through his company «MEEKAS INVESTMENTS L.V.» and the housing cooperative «Krit», may have increased the building’s space to generate rental income. Before the large-scale war, such an extension in the center of Kyiv could be rented for approximately $15,000-16,000 per month.

From open sources, it is reported that in 2016, the owner of the building was allegedly detained in Greece for organizing a criminal group involved in financial fraud – deceiving trusting investors and misappropriating their funds. At that time, the media reported that he managed to avoid imprisonment due to his diplomatic status as the “Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Crete” and partial compensation of funds to the victims.

In Ukraine, Ioannis Litrinas is involved in numerous legal cases and investigations, including the non-payment of a debt for electricity usage in the building at Volodymyrska Street, 4, amounting to over $18,000, and the seizure of the same building in 2017 due to its alleged purchase with illegally obtained funds. It was also reported that he provided funds to foundations that financed the terrorist activities of the so-called “LNR/DNR.”

Unfortunately, the entire story of neglecting historical heritage, illegal construction in the historical center of Kyiv, and the controversial owner is not atypical for the capital. It’s not even surprising that another attempt at illegal construction is happening during the war because the schemes and practices that have existed for years are resurfacing even more during wartime.

The main question now is how tolerant society, authorities, and law enforcement agencies will be towards such issues and whether we can afford to tolerate violations of the law and the plundering of our historical heritage in the center of Kyiv.

Read also

Prosecutor’s Office revokes developer’s ownership of architectural monument in Podil

Lake Hlynka is being prepared for construction. Residents of houses on the dangerous slope received new windows

Inspection №5: Reconstruction of Park “Natalka” situated in Obolon district that costs $7 million and it is not finished yet