East End Park was first used in 1885, the same year as the club was formed.[3] The original stadium was situated slightly to the west. In 1920, the Board of Directors purchased 3 acres (12,000 m2) of land from the North British Railway company for £3,500, and the present position of the ground was laid out.[3] A wooden stand with a low roof and a pavilion were built on the southern side, backing onto Halbeath Road (A907).[3] Terrace banks were extended to give a capacity of 16,000 when the club was promoted to the First Division in 1926.[3] Relegation and the effects of the Great Depression forced East End Park to be used for greyhound racing in the early 1930s.[3] The rent from this activity helped keep the club afloat, but the dog track cut across the corners of the pitch.[3] Dunfermline were promoted in 1934 and a roof was built over the northern terrace.[3] One year later, the eastern terrace was improved using wood salvaged from the liner Mauretania, which was being broken up in the Rosyth Dockyards.[3]
Polish and British army units were stationed at East End Park during the Second World War.[3] Dunfermline received £329 in compensation, but the ground remained quite primitive.[3] Crush barriers were not installed until 1951, after a 20,000 crowd had attended a match.[3] East End Park was greatly developed between 1957 and 1970, a period in which the club qualified several times for European competition.[3] A two-tier Main Stand was constructed in 1962, funded by the club winning the 1960–61 Scottish Cup.[3] The terracing was also improved, with an L-shaped roof formed over the western and northern sections.[3] The record attendance for a Dunfermline Athletic home game of 27,816 was against Celtic on 30 April 1968.[3] There was some chaotic crowd scenes, as people scaled the stand roof and floodlight pylons to gain access.[3] One person died from his injuries after falling.[3] In the late 1990s, East End Park was converted to an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 12,509. But since then, the capacity has been downgraded to the present 11,480. Since then there have been sell-outs against Rangers in the Scottish Cup and against Raith Rovers in a title decider for the 2010–11 Scottish First Division.[4] An artificial playing surface was installed at East End Park in 2003, as part of an experiment by UEFA.[5] Opposing managers and players expressed reservations at the time that the surface could lead to injuries. The pitch was subsequently replaced with grass two seasons later.[5] The 2006–07 Scottish Junior Cup Final between Kelty Hearts and Linlithgow Rose was held at East End Park on 3 June 2007. Dunfermline announced in November 2011 that the North Stand was to close, in order to reduce operating costs.[6] However, in July 2012 the club announced it planned to reopen the stand.[7]