The John Philip Sousa Bridge is a steel plate girder bridge that carries Pennsylvania Avenue across the Anacostia River in Washington DC. The first bridge was built in 1804, but it was burned by the US Army in 1814 during the War of 1812. It was replaced in 1815, but it burned to the waterline in 1846. In 1890, an iron girder bridge was built, bringing economic and residential development to the area. In 1939, the downstream span opened, and the bridge was named for US Marine Band conductor and composer John Philip Sousa.