[6][7][8] According to historian Manolo Quezon, the building was the "center of the American military's social life" in the Philippines from the time it was built until the outbreak of World War II in the Pacific in 1941.

During the Battle of Manila in 1945, the Japanese used it as a garrison and command post, before being burned, sustaining substantial damage to the roof and ballroom.

After the combined Filipino and American forces recaptured the city, the US Army and Navy Engineering Corps rebuilt the building and it opened again on 1 December 1945.

[6][7][8] In the years that followed the war, the club experienced a decline in membership as American military personnel began to be shipped home.

[6][7][8] For several years after the Museo ng Maynila closed, the Manila Army and Navy Club building was left in a state of disrepair.

It drew criticism from heritage conservationists and environmentalists, but according to the developer, 13 trees were earth-balled and replanted in another location, all with the approval of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

[2] The launch was attended by Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte who, in his speech, said: "The American-owned Army and Navy Club, it's now so beautiful, much may be prettier than the original one.