Lombardo family to sell Randolph events venue to Boston-based development company

Mary Whitfill, The Patriot Ledger
·3 min read

QUINCY – After decades of hosting community Thanksgiving dinners, weddings, proms, Patriot Ledger All-Scholastics dinners and more, the Lombardo family is waving goodbye to its flagship venue in Randolph.

The family company, Lombardo’s Hospitality Group, announced Thursday that the 71,500-square-foot event space and home of Vincent's Nightclub will be sold to Boston-based Core Investments Inc., a real estate investment and development company.

The facility is expected to close in September 2023.

The Lombardo's function facility in Randolph is being sold and is expected to close in September 2023.
The Lombardo's function facility in Randolph is being sold and is expected to close in September 2023.

“While this is another significant moment for us as a family business, and we’ve had many over the years, we feel we’ve made the best business decision to grow the future of the business and have done the due diligence to honor both our customers and our employees,” David Lombardo, director of operations with Lombardo’s Hospitality Group, said in a statement.

The Lombardo family has been in business for nearly 100 years, first opening Liberty Market in East Boston in  1927 and opening its first function facility there in 1963. The Lombardo's in Randolph opened on Billings Street in 1983.

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Between 2 million and 3 million guests have dined, danced and celebrated there over the decades. At its peak, Lombardo's was hosting up to 750 events per year, everything from South Shore Chamber of Commerce breakfasts to Hindu and same-sex weddings, Hispanic “sweet 15” quinceanera parties and Lebanese new year’s banquets.

Over the years, Lombardo’s has hosted Boston Celtics  season kickoff dinners. Scenes for the 2006 Danny Aiello film “Stiffs” and the 2012 Kevin James-Henry Winkler movie  “Here Comes the Boom” were shot there. In 1988, then Republican presidential candidate George H.W. Bush visited the East Boston Lombardo’s.

Guests at Taste of the South Shore sample food and drinks at Lombardo's in 2018. Ledger file photo
Guests at Taste of the South Shore sample food and drinks at Lombardo's in 2018. Ledger file photo

Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau President Patrick  Moscaritolo said in 2013 that the Lombardo family members were “pioneers” for providing what he called “a one-stop, seamless experience” for large special events.

The family has also long provided financial support for parades, fireworks displays and the local food pantry, as well as hosting hundreds of homeless and shelter residents for Thanksgiving dinner each year.

Four generations of the Lombardo family have run Boston-area events and hospitality businesses.
Four generations of the Lombardo family have run Boston-area events and hospitality businesses.

“The history of this building and what it has meant to so many members of the community of Randolph cannot be overlooked and it’s obviously a significant moment in time for all of us," Vincent Lombardo, CEO of the family's companies, said in a statement. "This is the right decision for all involved at this time and we’re looking forward to the growth and change ahead with the fourth generation."

The venue, which sits on a 4.5-acre lot, was last valued at $5,535,400.

In  its statement,  Lombardo's said Core Investments has "invested in properties at the prominent intersection of I-93 and state Route 28 in Randolph" and that "the Core team recognizes the potential for thoughtful and creative redevelopment of the area."

A court officer decends the staircase at Lombardo's in Randolph that has been transformed into a courthouse, Tuesday, April 20, 2021. Tom Gorman/For The Patriot Ledger
A court officer decends the staircase at Lombardo's in Randolph that has been transformed into a courthouse, Tuesday, April 20, 2021. Tom Gorman/For The Patriot Ledger

“Our talented team is just beginning to go to work with the town of Randolph to determine the needs and desires of the community and what future physical spaces and uses make sense for this special location,” John Cissel, president of development for Core, said in a statement. “We look forward to working with all stakeholders and interested persons, in the same way we have been engaged in South Boston.”

A representative with Tom Palmer Communication responded to an email on Core's behalf, and said the company "has been at work for more than 10 years on planning, designing, permitting and building a mix of 21st-century uses in South Boston along Dorchester Avenue, a neighborhood now called On the Dot, as well as nearby Washington Village, a nearby mixed-use project that is now under construction with our partners."

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Reach Mary Whitfill at mwhitfill@patriotledger.com. 

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Boston-based development company to buy Randolph Lombardo's