The University Club of Montreal was created in 1907 as a means for Montreal University graduates to meet and socialize. The founding members were Professor Stephen Leacock, Seargent P. Stearns, Vincent J. Hughes, Professor R.F. Ruttan, Dr. John McCrae, Dean F.P. Walsh, Dr. T.J.W. Burgess, and H.D. Gibson. Since its inception the club has had 90 different presidents, the current being Eric Perlinger.
The club involves multiple committees and subcommittees with the purpose of carrying out various club functions and responsibilities such as finances, and membership. The club also frequently hosts various activities and events. Until 2017 there had been no formal program of collecting or managing archival materials at the University Club of Montreal. The records and materials have always resided within the club.

The University Club was formed in 1885 to provide a meeting place for members of any university who were in Montréal. The club was managed by McGill graduates. The University Literary Society used to meet in its rooms. Sir William Dawson was its first honorary president. Eventually the expense of maintaining the University street premises with its billiard room and reading room proved too heavy, and the Club disbanded in 1889. Some members of this club subsequently became founder members of the University Club of Montreal incorporated in 1907, but there is no organizational link between the two organizations.