Preservation architect Joseph Pell Lombardi has restored more than 600 properties in his 60-year career. He also collects and restores unique homes such as the Parsonage in Peru. Seven Days’ Eva Sollberger got a tour of the 1850s Greek Revival house, which will be open to the public in the spring. Preservation architect Joseph Pell Lombardi has been obsessed with old houses since he was a child. Over the past six decades, he has restored more than 600 homes, buildings and even a few European castles. Based in New York City, Lombardi has been a pioneer in the preservation movement and is currently converting unused offices into living spaces. Throughout his career, Lombardi has also collected and conserved a number of private residences, including an apartment in Liberty Tower in Manhattan; the Armour-Stiner Octagon House in Irvington, N.Y.; and Château du Sailhant in France. The last two have been opened to the public as museums. The Parsonage in the tiny village of Peru, Vt., is one of Lombardi’s more humble abodes. Built in 1850 for $400, the rustic Greek Revival house was initially occupied by the parson of the Congregational Church next door (now the Peru Church). Lombardi purchased the run-down parsonage in 1976 and spent 15 years restoring the home to its former glory. Seven Days’ senior multimedia producer Eva Sollberger toured the Parsonage on a warm fall day, with Lombardi guiding her through the post-and-beam structure over the phone.  She also spoke with him via Zoom about his illustrious career. Lombardi is working with a graduate student from the University of Vermont Historic Preservation Program to open the Parsonage to the public as a house museum beginning in the spring. Filming date: 10/19/24 Music: Joel Cummins, “Pastorale” This episode of Stuck in Vermont was supported by EastRise Credit Union…