Who We Are
Founded in 1907, The University Club of Montreal is one of the city’s most prestigious and historical organisations.
Nestled in the heart of the golden Square Mile, the Club resides in a stately Victorian house, Maison Reid Wilson, an architectural gem which stony façade gazes upon downtown’s Sherbrooke Street.
As it has for 100 years, having illustrious minds mingle, discuss and enjoy art, culture, gastronomy and business, The Club, perpetrating the tradition, is dedicated to providing a refuge, a home to cultivate a rich exchange between dynamic members from a diversified academic and professional milieu.
Eclectic spaces with each its own ambiance and charm, a state-of-the-art kitchen for memorable culinary experiences, a pub with its Maître de Chai, a dedicated staff for your bespoke event, concierge service and a multimedia room.
We’ve been writing Montreal’s history for over 100 years. Our historical members and leaders represent the best of the best in Montreal, and we continue to foster and cultivate Montreal’s future leaders. We are ‘Montreal’ — the people, the culture, the city.
Feel free to explore the possibilities and reach out to us.
Mission
The University Club of Montreal is an influential social and business community that has been part of Montreal’s history and culture for over 100 years.
Vision
Be the inclusive and indispensable private club of the Greater Montreal community, at the crossroads of culture, collegiality and inspiration.
Our Values
Camaraderie
Excellence
Ethics
Leadership
Refinement
University Club of Montreal: A Brief History
In 1907, the University Club of Montreal was founded by a group of McGill University professors who were joined by a broad-based group of friends who wanted a place to socialize. They wanted a club with a more academic atmosphere than found in the several business-oriented clubs of Montreal. In order to join the UCM, one had to be a university graduate, although this rule was removed in 1973. The group flourished in the initial years, to the point that in December 1913, the club opened its own building on Mansfield Street, designed by founding member, Percy Nobbs, director of McGill’s School of Architecture. Nobbs integrated the coats of arms of the members’ international and Canadian Alma Maters into the stained-glass windows and plaster decoration of the building’s architecture.
Originally the club was intended only for male members, but women could accompany the men for dinner, or the wives of members could hold social events in rooms especially set aside for them. Women were finally given the right to be members in 1988.
Many men from the club served and died in both world wars, including founding member, Dr. John McCrae, a distinguished surgeon, military officer, poet, and war hero. He became internationally celebrated for his poem, In Flanders Field, composed in 1915 from the front lines of war, before he died in France in 1918. Two stained-glass windows adjacent to the former club’s interior main staircase were commissioned from Nobbs and record the names of those who served and those who fell in World War I.
Long, double-martini business lunches and billiard games stretching into the evening belong to the shades of the past. However, traditions have not been allowed to fall, as the club continues to hold oyster parties, a president’s cocktail, a round-table for lunch, business breakfasts, and annual dinners to celebrate exceptional members. The UCM Christmas dinners and never-ending lunches are still an integral part of the club’s festivities.
In 2007 a history of the University Club of Montreal was published in celebration of its one-hundred years. Long-standing members hold fond memories of the former Mansfield Street “club house,” but we look forward to settling into a grey-stone mansion built in 1882 on Sherbrooke Steet, which was once labelled the “Fifth Avenue” of Montreal. On the walls inside the club will be examples of the art collection: landscapes of the Laurentian hills, portraits of early founders, such as the well-loved author and humourist Stephen Leacock, and non-figurative renderings by prominent Quebec artists, Alfred Pellan and Jean-Paul Riopelle. In the new quarters, members will be able to settle back in their favourite old (reupholstered) couches and chairs and place their drinks on the revered brass-topped side tables from the former club lounge.
The membership of the Club has broadened its reach culturally and linguistically, and we are on the verge of a new history based on a solid historical foundation and traditions of friendship and conviviality.
Library & Art Committee
December 2021
Coat Of Arms
Extract from letters patent granting Armorial Bearings to the University Club of Montreal:
“BY Claire Boudreau, Chief Herald of Canada
WHEREAS a request that armorial hearings be granted has been received from the University Club of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Incorporated on the 8th day of November 1907 by Letters Patent of the Lieutenant- Governor of Quebec, and on the 5th day of June 1974 under the Companies Act of the province of Quebec…
1906
A club founded at the height of The Progressive Era.
Montreal
Set against the backdrop of a bustling liberal, multi-cultural city.
Professor Stephen Leacock.
Lead by a renowned teacher, political scientist, writer and humorist.
A league of thought leaders.
The club was founded by an esteemed group of progressive thinkers, academics and entrepreneurs.
Built on the principles of progression.
Designed to be notably more casual than others, the club defied
social
norms and offered an inviting place for University alumni to
gather for
enlightened conversation and recreational pursuits.
Celebrating and pursuing culture.
For generations, the club attracted many notable members –
some
of whom made significant contributions to academia,
business and culture.
Poet, Doctor, Author, Soldier.
Founding member Dr. John McCrae is just one example. In 1915,
he penned “In Flanders Fields”; a poem forever embedded in
history
as a vivid and moving ode to the fallen soldiers of World War I.
History Told Through Art.
Members indulged in cultural pursuits of all kinds – music,
food,
wine, literature and more. Over the years, they amassed
an
extensive collection of original paintings from some of history’s
most important creative minds. Today, the collection is proudly
displayed throughout the clubhouse as a celebration of the changing
social narrative of the past 100+ years.
Guided By Values.
In 1988, building manager Dennis Schuller showed the club’s
moral fabric during an ice storm that left the community without
heat and power. His ingenuity and selfless nature provided
food,
safety and comfort to neighbours during a time of need.
His actions are just one example of the club’s reputation for
hospitality
and incredible staff.
Leading The Charge For Inclusivity.
Looking ahead, our outlook is bold but the path is uncharted.
The world
has changed and so must we. Progression however,
is a journey not
a destination – of new perspectives, ideas and
narratives.
Together, Anything Is Possible.
Looking ahead, our outlook is bold but the path is uncharted. The world has changed and so
must we. Progression is a journey full of new perspectives, ideas and narratives.
The University Club of Montreal is located in the Golden Square mile
where once the fortified village of Hochelaga and its Iroquois community
described by Jacques Cartier in 1535 was situated.
1906
A club founded at the height of The
Progressive Era.
Montreal
Set against the backdrop of a bustling liberal,
multi-cultural city.
Professor Stephen Leacock.
Lead by a renowned teacher, political scientist,
writer and humorist.
A league of thought leaders.
The club was founded by an esteemed group
of progressive
thinkers, academics
and entrepreneurs.
Built On The Principles
Of Progression.
Designed to be notably more casual than others,
the club defied
social norms and offered an inviting
place for University alumni to
gather for
enlightened conversation and recreational pursuits.
Celebrating and pursuing culture.
For generations, the club attracted many notable
members –
some of whom made significant
contributions to academia,
business and culture.
Poet, Doctor, Author, Soldier.
Founding member Dr. John McCrae is just one example.
In 1915,
he penned “In Flanders Fields”; a poem forever
embedded in
history as a vivid and moving ode to the
fallen soldiers of World War I.
History Told Through Art.
Members indulged in cultural pursuits of all kinds – music,
food,
wine, literature and more. Over the years, they amassed
an
extensive collection of original paintings from some of
history’s
most important creative minds. Today, the collection
is proudly
displayed throughout the clubhouse as a celebration
of the changing social narrative of the past 100+ years.
Guided By Values.
In 1988, building manager Dennis Schuller showed the club’s
moral fabric during an ice storm that left the community without
heat and power. His ingenuity and selfless nature provided
food,
safety and comfort to neighbours during a time of need.
His actions are just one example of the club’s reputation for
hospitality and incredible staff.
Leading The Charge
For Inclusivity.
Looking ahead, our outlook is bold but the path is uncharted.
The world has changed and so must we. Progression, however,
is a journey not a destination – of new perspectives,
ideas and
narratives.
Together, Anything Is Possible.
Looking ahead, our outlook is bold but the path is uncharted.
The world has changed and so must we. Progression
is a journey full of new perspectives, ideas and narratives.
The University Club of Montreal is located in the Golden
Square mile where once the fortified village of
Hochelaga and its Iroquois community described by
Jacques Cartier in 1535 was situated.