Colden Playground

Union St and 31 Rd

Queens, 11354

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

Located at the intersection of Union Street and 31st Road, this playground takes its name from nearby Public School 214, the Cadwallader Colden School, which is named for the famous physician, scientist, and statesman of colonial New York. Cadwallader Colden (1688-1776) was born in Ireland in 1688, while his mother was visiting Ireland, and was raised in Duns, Scotland. His father was a Presbyterian minister, and Colden followed his father's footsteps and enrolled at the University of Edinburgh, intending to become a minister. Young Cadwallader soon became interested in the sciences, however, and drifted away from the ministry. He graduated from Edinburgh with an A.B. in 1705, and traveled to London to study medicine.