Over the past 100+ years, 90 of which has been from the same building the post currently occupies, Frank Marston American Legion Post 33 strived to be a positive impact for veterans in Pensacola. From the start the post was key in organizing Armistice Day events for the city, participated in parades, and organized many social events. In March 1919, members of the American Expeditionary Force, still deployed in France, met in Paris and started a new fraternal organization they would call the American Legion. As they redeployed home, they met again in Saint Louis to further establish the organization in the United States. On June 1, 1919, veterans of the war met at Pensacola’s Army and Navy Club, located at 27-29 West Romana, and formed Pensacola’s first American Legion post. A couple months later members voted to name the post Frank Marston Post, after Pensacola’s first casualty in the recent war. They would shortly take over management of the Army and Navy Club from the War Camp Community Service and assume management of the local Employment Bureau from the Knights of Columbus, an office helping returning veterans find new employment.

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The post operated out of several community buildings early on, first at the Army-Navy Club, then Armory Building, the Knights of Pythias Hall, to name a few. Throughout they hosted events at the Armory and Sanders Beach. In 1930 the post acquired land from the Barrancas Land Company and Maxent Land Company for building a new facility. Langley Bell, clerk of the county court, chaired the building committee overseeing the construction of the new post headquarters. Ground broke February 1931 and crews completed construction in time for the grand opening celebration on July 4th of that year. The post finally owned a home of its own.

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In addition to hosting meetings for the post and its auxiliary, the new building served the community in many ways. The post offered support for National efforts before and during World War II serving as the Escambia County Armory ad hadquarters for the local company of the Forida State Guard. It hosted wrestling from the early 1940s all the way to 2019. In the late 2000s and early 2010s the post served as a popular concert venue, hosting bands like As I Lay Dying, after they reached the Billboard top 10 with their fifth album release.

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The post holds a long history with hosting dances and in from 1999 to 2019 the post gained notoriety for hosting swing dancing. However, swing night wasn’t the only dance events held at the post. Some organizers operated a frequent night club out of the building advertising as The Post. Unfortunately, in December 2019, a shooting involving people that attended one such event near the property prompted the Department of Florida to suspend the post’s charter. However, in late 2020, amidst another global pandemic, a group of dedicated young veterans and interested community members banded together and started rebuilding the post. Their efforts recently resulted in the awarding of a grant from the Pensacola Community Redevelopment Agency which allowed for a new roof and a complete makeover of the exterior. Volunteers across Escambia County and the surrounding area helped give the interior a fresh look. The post building needs plenty more renovation work, but the members of Frank Marston Post 33 strive to make it once again a positive family friendly institution driven to help the community and local veterans.