Original name of the BU Bridge: Cottage Farm Bridge

Boston University Bridge seen from BU Sailing Pavilion (Early March, 2020)

BU Bridge is short for Boston University Bridge. The Boston University Bridge connects Boston University on the south side of the Charles River with Cambridgeport on the north side.

Built in 1928, the bridge's original name was Cottage Farm Bridge, referring to a nearby neighborhood in Brookline. The steel through arch bridge was designed by Desmond & Lord; then replacing a drawbridge from the 1850s, which was called—not surprisingly—Brookline Bridge [1-4].

As shown in the picture below, the BU bridge is not only crossing the Charles River, but also the now rusty Grand Junction Railroad Bridge.

The rusty Grand Junction Railroad Bridge with the BU Bridge above, the Charles River Esplanade walk & bike trail underneath and the Boston skyline in the background (Early March, 2020)

Keywords: geography, bridge naming, bridge hunting, Boston, Massachusetts.

References and more to explore

[1] Boston University Alumni Association: The BU Bridge. Link: https://www.bu.edu/backtoschool/location/the-bu-bridge.
[2] BridgeHunter: Boston University Bridge. Link: https://bridgehunter.com/ma/suffolk/boston-university.
[3] MIT Museum: Cottage Farm Bridge. Links: https://webmuseum.mit.edu/detail.php?module=objects&type=related&kv=170086 and https://webmuseum.mit.edu/detail.php?module=sites&type=related&kv=3059.
[4] Historic New England: Cottage Farm Bridge. Link: https://www.historicnewengland.org/explore/collections-access/capobject/?refd=GC002.01.MA.3700.001.