In 1949 a committee of Calgary seniors, led by Dr. Alexander Calhoun, saw the need for a centre that would provide social and recreational activities for Calgarians leaving the work force. On March 3, 1951 the Golden Age Club was formally registered under the Societies Act of Alberta as a non profit society and then became a registered charity in 1998. The Golden Age Club was the first senior citizen's club in Canada to sponsor a building specifically for the recreation of senior persons. It was the first organization of its kind in Canada to own the building in which it met and it was among the first seniors' organizations in Canada to be run by seniors for seniors.

Activities began in a Quonset hut next to the Mewata Armouries, a building the Club shared with the local dental corps of the military. Afternoon tea was offered for $0.05. With major fund raising activities and support from local fraternal organizations the Golden Age Club erected their own building, located at 505 Eleventh Street South West. The first Executive Director was Mrs. Gertrude Dimple and under her guidance, the Club was able to completely pay for their new home in three years. When the City of Calgary appropriated the land for the expansion of Bow Trail, the Club spent a brief time on Seventeenth Avenue West. The Golden Age Club moved to their present, permanent home in East Village in 1984.

With a membership numbering in the thousands, the Golden Age Club was, for years, the hub of senior's activities in Calgary and was a model for other senior's clubs across Canada. Members participated in seniors' sporting games throughout Alberta and boasted championships in several sports. In later years a commercial kitchen and cafeteria were added to the building as was a lounge. Both were built to meet the needs of the members, as well as all of East Village, and both continue to operate today albeit on a reduced basis. In later years, in reply to the needs of the residents of East Village, the Golden Age Club leased out space to a pharmacy and a grocery store.

Over the years virtually every community began to develop space and facilities for its own senior's population and fewer people needed to came to East Village for social and recreational activities. However, the Club has never lost track of its focus and mission so to address this trend, the Club began to undergo some changes in the late 1990's and early 2000's concurrent with the revitalization and redevelopment of East Village to ensure its high level and diverse programs for its members.

In 2004, the Club adopted two major recommendations produced by a consultant in an organizational assessment of the Club; the Club was renamed "the Downtown Friendship Centre" and the age for membership was dropped to 35. These recommendations were adopted as the City Of Calgary was pushing ahead with the redevelopment of East Village. It was felt that the new residents would reflect a younger, upwardly mobile population and that the Club had to adapt to these changes. Called "the Centre," DFC began the process of changing some of its operations to meet the needs of its new proposed membership and residents of East Village. Another major change occurred in 2006 when the Club voluntarily became a non smoking facility thereby providing a healthier environment.

In 2010, the Downtown Friendship Centre returned to its roots and once again, became the Golden Age Club.

Today the Board of Directors of the Golden Age Club remain constant in their mandate "To provide social, cultural, recreational and educational opportunities for all Calgary seniors". Dedicated staff continue to create new programs to support the Club's new Mission Statement and Strategic Plan. New services have been added (a barber and a community outreach social worker), a multicultural focus has been developed and embraced as has intergenerational programs and events. Throughout all of the changes and redevelopment of East Village, the Golden Age Club will continue to provide programs and services to its membership and the citizens of Calgary.