The Bedford Union Armory in Crown Heights, Brooklyn is being named after former Congressman Major Robert Owens, who represented New York’s 12th Congressional District for nearly 25 years. The facility, scheduled to open later this year, officially will be referred to as the Major R. Owens Health and Wellness Community Center.
The renaming honors Owens’ legacy as a civic leader in Brooklyn, beginning with his post with the Brooklyn Public Library where he served as an information librarian. During his near 25-year tenure in Congress, Owens was a civil rights and disability rights advocate, a supporter of increasing library and education access for all, and promoted social justice.
The Major R. Owens Health and Wellness Community Center will soon house a 60,000 square-foot world-class recreation center, with an indoor swimming pool, three hardwood basketball courts, an indoor soccer field, dance and performance studios, a fitness center and areas designated for boxing and archery. The facility will also house 45,000 square feet of space for local community-based non-profits, which will offer enrichment and educational programming such as coding, after-school support, athletic clinics and camps.