The College of California, the predecessor of the University of California, was founded in 1855 by Henry Durant, a Congregationalist minister. It was located in the block bounded by Twelfth, Fourteenth, Franklin and Harrison Streets, but moved to Berkeley in 1873 due to the unsuitable rowdiness of the area. It merged with the Agricultural, Mining, and Mechanical Arts College to become UC Berkeley. At the time, Oak trees, the namesake of the city, were left standing in the streets. Oakland History Room