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LOMBARDO WING website dedicated to the hometown roots of bandleader Guy Lombardo
grand theatre wing
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Guy Lombardo's London: The Homes
A tour of the buildings and places that made him famous

182 Oxford Street East (1901-1902)
The bridal cottage for Guy's parents was a small white house which was torn down during World War I. Although Guy claimed it as his first home in his autobiography the Lombardos had moved out shortly before the birth of any of their children.

136 Queens Avenue (1902-1904)
For the record, Gaetano Lombardo Jr. was born in a modest house in an area later dubbed "The Latin Quarter" for its Italian heritage. Sadly, Lombardo's birthplace was replaced by a parking lot for a federal building in 1935.

202 Simcoe Street Guy Lombardo's home 1904-1912202 Simcoe Street (1904-1912)
The Lombardo family moved into this modest two-story brick home two years after Guy was born. It was here that the future bandleader first picked up an instrument - the violin. During one lesson Guy became testy with his father. Enraged, Lombardo Sr., grabbed the instrument and smashed it over his son's head. Years later, Guy's father sheepishly explained "it was a small violin." The only Lombardo home still standing.

Lombardo plaque at Labatt's beer store 153 Horton Street (1912-1928)
Guy's third and final London home was near the corner of Richmond and Horton Streets. In the late 1940s Labatt's brewing company demolished the house in order to build a retail beer store. A plaque was later installed (shown here with CBC music archivist Adrian Shuman) and the Lombardo brothers unveiled it in July of 1959. The plaque was later removed and refurbished when the company repainted the exterior of the building. It was re-dedicated on April 17, 2003.

Wharncliffe Road South (1928-1935)
In 1928 the newly-monied Lombardo brothers decided their family needed a more a palatial residence in the country. The move to the south of London was a mixed blessing. Papa Lombardo's stab at chicken farming was a disaster, Mama Lombardo missed the social life in London and kid sister Rose Marie hated the long bus rides to school. The family lived there until 1935 when they moved to Stamford, Connecticut. The house later served as a Chinese restaurant and was demolished in 1978 to make way for a trailer dealership. Although advertised as "the Guy Lombardo homestead" the bandleader only came by for visits.

Click here to see where Guy trod
Click here to see where Guy played
Click here for a tourist's map of Guy Lombardo's London