BATUMI, Georgia — Once a staid seaside resort in the Soviet Union, this frontier city has undergone an extreme face-lift, the legacy of former President Mikheil Saakashvili’s determination to give Georgia a more contemporary, jazzier look.

Three years after Mr. Saakashvili left office and the country, Batumi, like other Georgian cities, bears his mark. Its skyline is a bizarre mash-up of architectural styles, including sleek modern and Disneyland whimsical, crowding out the two-story, 19th-century buildings with ornate balconies that once defined this city of 120,000.

Although some parts of historic Batumi have been preserved, dozens of old buildings have been swept away in the rush to welcome new investors, hotels and, especially, casinos. The Post Office, a city landmark, has been transformed, its Art Nouveau interior destroyed. Smaller houses have been torn down, despite protests from a group of citizens.

“We are fighting house by house,” said Shota Gujabidze, a film director and author of a book on old Batumi. “But it is very difficult to fight when the authorities have all the power. You can go out on the street and shout, but nothing happens.”