PERU, Vt. (WCAX) – 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. 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’ Eva Sollberger toured the Parsonage with Lombardi guiding her through the post-and-beam structure over the phone. 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.