The Mount Stephen Club was a private members' club located in the former George Stephen House at 1430-1440 Drummond Street in Montreal (Quebec), Canada.
The club was founded in 1926 as a gentlemen's club for businessmen by mining magnate Noah Timmins, J.H. Maher and J.S. Dohan. It took its name from the mansion's first owner, Lord Mount Stephen, who built the house in 1883 as a family home. The club officially opened to members on December 12, 1927, after adapting the house for its needs. It was then considered to be an exclusive meeting place for wealthy Anglophone Montrealers. Starting in 1964, women visiting the club were allowed to come in by the same entrance as men, but only on Thursdays. During the mid-1970s, women became equal members of the club, which continued until it closed on December 23, 2011.
Various well-known people visited the club over the years, including Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, Princess Benedikte of Denmark, John Diefenbaker, Pierre Trudeau, Brian Mulroney, Percival Molson, Lucien Bouchard, Louise Harel and Edgar Bronfman.
On July 16, 1926, Don Mar Realty Limited acquired the George Stephen House. This company then transferred it on October 14, 1927, to the new Mount Stephen Club, a gentlemen's club founded in 1926 by Noah Timmins, J. H. Maher, and J. S. Dohan. These men were the first advocates for the preservation of the George Stephen House and did everything in their power to protect this elegant townhouse from demolition and to preserve its original interior. Indeed, this objective was the key to the almost complete preservation of this mansion. Furthermore, they named the club "Mount Stephen" in honor of the residence's first owner, George Stephen..
The conversion of the residence into a private club, however, led the new owner to make some modifications to adapt it to its needs. The most notable was the replacement in 1927 of the glass walls of the conservatory with cut stone walls.That same year, the building's new purpose also prompted the club to make changes to the kitchens, some of the equipment, and the basement rooms. On December 12, 1927, the club opened its doors to members.
Subsequently, the club undertook a series of expansions through the construction of annexes and interior modifications to better meet the needs of the club and its clientele. In 1948, the club expanded the south side of the former conservatory. In 1953, the institution built an annex at the rear and carried out interior modifications from 1956 to 1958 and in 1962 (kitchens).
Starting in 1964, women visiting the club were allowed to come in by the same entrance as men, but only on Thursdays. During the mid-1970s, women became equal members of the club.
In 2005, a hotel project emerged: the "Le Cristofe Alexandre" hotel. Designed by architect Karl Fischer, a twenty-one (21) story tower would have been erected at the corner of Drummond Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard, adjacent to the George Stephen House, but connected to it by a modern shared entrance. The hotel was originally scheduled to open in 2008. However, this project was cancelled.
In 2006, the club is bought by the Tidan hotel and real estate group. On May 26, 2006, this same group purchased the residence for $4 million from the former Club Mount Stephen, which had been incorporated in 1926.[18] This latter legal entity was officially dissolved on June 4, 2010. Starting in 2006, the club's new management attempted to improve the facilities and services offered to its four hundred members. First, it invested nearly $4 million, notably in adding a central air conditioning system, expanding some reception rooms, and adding new meeting rooms. It also attempted to adopt a new marketing strategy to attract young Montrealers to become members. Then, she opened the club to the general public for musical dinners on Saturdays and musical brunches on Sundays. Despite all attempts to revitalize the club, the Tidan group failed to make the institution profitable, even though their past investments had increased revenues. On December 23, 2011, management made the decision to permanently close the club,[3][4] resulting in the loss of 70 full-time and part-time jobs. The club's closure prompted Heritage Montreal to place the George Stephen House under observation on its list of Montreal's endangered landmarks in 2012.
This non-exhaustive list includes the club presidents.
This list indicates the clubs that were affiliated with the Mount Stephen club around 1967