Hibernian like most clubs in the capital initially played matches at the Meadows however cricketers led the protest to minimise the football and as a result the civic authorities urged each club to find a new home of their own.
Hibernian moved initially to Powderhall then Mayfield before Easter Road, not the present site but a few hundred yards to the south.
Financial mismanagement however resulted in the club losing its SFA membership and the club was reformed in 1892 when a lease on a piece of land at Drum Park was secured.
The site which had a pronounced slope was originally called Hibernian Park and had restricted access from Easter Road. To help with the cost, the field was leased to a local farmer for grazing cattle when not in use.
Work started immediately on the pitch and facilities and a railing was built round the playing area.
A grandstand which became known as The Eggbox was built of the east side of the pitch. This stretched along the lower half of the pitch finishing at the halfway line. A pavilion separate from the Eggbox was also built.
The first match to take place on the ground was against Clyde in 1893 which was lost 4-3.
As the club did not own the stadium, the directors were unwilling to develop it and were continually looking for an alternative home. At one point a move Aberdeen was considered.
In 1909, work began on a potential new ground in the Piershill area of Edinburgh, but the North British Railway company won a court order allowing them to build a railway line there although none was ever built on the site.
In 1922, the club agreed a 25-year lease on the ground and significant development took place including the movement of the playing surface 40 yards to the east.
A main stand with a capacity of 4,480 was constructed on the west side of the pitch and had a giant ‘Father Time’ logo of Scottish Brewers painted on the roof.
Three banks of uncovered terraces were raised on the other three sides brining the capacity up to 45,000. As part of this work the slope was reduced to approximately six feet.
The cost was reported as £20,000 and was funded by a combination of debentures plus the sale of goalkeeper Bill Harper to Arsenal for £4,000 which was a record fee for a goalkeeper.
A strike by construction worked delayed the opening and the club started season 1924/25 at Tynecastle with games played on Friday nights as St Bernards also used the ground on the Saturdays when Hearts were away from home.
The new facilities were opened with a 2-0 victory over Queens Park and very little, if any improvements were made over the coming years.
Following the second world war, the club enjoyed great success winning three league championships between 1948 and 1952.
A record attendance of 65,860 was set by an Edinburgh derby against Hearts played on 2 January 1950
The size of the East Terracing was increased to accommodate the number of supporters wanting to attend matches and the club even drew up plans to expand the overall capacity to 98,000. This would have been done by raising each end terrace to the same height as the east side, but these plans never came to fruition.
Around this time during a period of refurbishment a giant harp was surrounded by clusters of shamrocks which was situated above the entrance to the South Enclosure was removed.
Legend has it that a gypsy curse was placed upon the club which stated that Hibernian would not win the Scottish Cup until the Harp emblem returned to the stadium.
In 1954 Hibernian became the first club in Scotland to instal pylon style floodlights at each corner.
These floodlights were installed by a local company, Miller & Stables and were first used for an Edinburgh derby played on 18 October 1954.
The club's participation in the inaugural European Champions Cup the following year meant that Easter Road became the first British ground to host European Cup football.
In the early 1960s a roof was installed over the North Terracing which became known by fans as The Cowshed’ or ‘Cave’ and that area housed the more vocal supporters from both sides as there was no segregation.
Indeed many fans stood behind the goal that their team was attacking and changed ends at half time.
In 1972 The Cowshed was closed following a large-scale disturbance during a Drybrough Cup semi-final victory over Rangers and subsequently wooden benches were installed.
The capacity of the stadium was reduced in 1975 the club’s centenary year to 30,000, due to the regulations of the Safety of Sports Grounds Act.
In 1981 Easter Road became the first stadium in Scotland to install undersoil heating which paid off when Ron Atkinson’s Manchester United visited on Boxing Day.
An electronic scoreboard was also installed on the roof of The Cowshed but did not prove popular with fans and fell into disrepair.
In 1985, the extended East Terracing was reduced and roofed which provided a great atmosphere despite the sometimes restricted view caused by the many pillars. This reduced the capacity to 27,000.
Two years later the club was taken over by a consortium that spent approximately £1 million on executive boxes and refurbishments.
Following the attempted hostile take over bid by Hearts’ owner Wallace Mercer, Sir Tom Farmer took control of the club and talks took place about moving to another site at Straiton but this never materialised.
Bucket seats were installed in the east and south terracing to comply with the requirements of the Taylor Report set up following the Hillsborough disaster which initially reduced the capacity of Easter Road to 13,500.
In 1995 Easter Road underwent major redevelopment and stands were built behind each goal at a reported cost of £8 million, increasing the capacity to 16,531.
Following a supporters’ vote, the North Stand was named The Famous Five Stand after the legendry forward line.
The South Stand contained offices which would subsequently be occupied by the Hibernian FC Community Trust and a police control room. It also contained an electronic scoreboard.
The famous Easter Road slope, which meant that the north end of the pitch was six feet lower than the south, was removed at the end of season 1999/00 and two years later the current West Stand replaced the ageing main stand increasing the capacity to 17,500.
The two tier stand has a 6,500 capacity and has a reception area, club offices, media centre, banqueting suites, hospitality area and dressing rooms.
Despite the improvements a further proposal to move to a shared stadium in Straiton took place in 2003 but the supporters were opposed to the plan and instead the old car park at the rear of the East Terracing was sold to reduce the club’s debt.
The club first obtained planning permission to replace the East Terracing in 1999 and renewed in 2005. Two years later the club started a consultation with supporters on its redevelopment and a single tier stand was the most popular with the fans.
Demolition of the East Stand started in March 2010 and it officially opened a month ahead of schedule in August of that year with a capacity of 6,400 bringing the current capacity to 20,421.
In 2016 the Club’s crest was mounted on the West Stand lifting the decades long curse and coincidentally that year the Scottish Cup was won.
In 2019 Ron Gordon became Hibernian’s majority shareholder and his vision aimed to deliver consistent sporting success and a better match day experience.
The interior of the West Stand has since been completely refurbished and large video screens were installed into the corners at the East Stand.
