{"nrhp_refnum":"82004642","name":"Founders' Rock","other_names":[],"category":"site","location":{"address":"Oxford St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Berkeley","county":"Alameda County","state":"CA","lat":37.88347028900006,"lon":-122.25658490499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-03-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Founders' Rock is a natural rock outcropping at the northeastern corner of the University of California campus in Berkeley, where Hearst Avenue meets Gayley Road, set against a backdrop of eucalyptus trees.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the rock is significant for its association with the founding of the University of California, when trustees of the College of California dedicated the campus site beside it in 1860. It has also hosted later commemorative events and serves as a symbol of the relationship between the natural and social environment at the Berkeley campus.","narrative":"Founders' Rock is a massive natural outcropping at the northeastern corner of the University of California campus in Berkeley, where Hearst Avenue meets Gayley Road. A geology professor's statement describes it as silica-carbonate rock carried to the site and thrust upward by movement of the Hayward Fault, with no similar rock within 25 miles. On April 16, 1860, trustees of the College of California gathered at the rock to dedicate the campus site, and a witness praised the view toward the Golden Gate. In May 1866 trustees met there and chose the name Berkeley for the surrounding community. A plaque was dedicated by the class of 1896, and ceremonies were held at the rock on the fiftieth and one hundredth anniversaries of the university's founding. Although buildings such as the Greek Theater and Wheeler Hall have largely taken over ceremonial roles, the rock remains a link to the university's formative years and to the open landscape that preceded the campus.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Condition is listed as excellent, unaltered and on its original site; large laboratory and classroom buildings now border it to the south and west.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.253305-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/82004642.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004642/5eea70739a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004642/5eea70739a-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Kirk Abbott (Coro at English Wikipedia)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FoundersRock.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Kirk Abbott (Coro at English Wikipedia)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FoundersRock.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857322","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founders%27_Rock","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5474591"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/alameda-county/founders-rock-82004642/"}