In those years, a headline would periodically appear in the media: "Mr. Mayor, when will that stadium be built?" In the early 1920s, when Zagreb's Gradjanski was establishing itself as a club of high European calibre, the problem of a ground still remained. Buoyed by enthusiasm and carried on the wings of the Purgers' brilliant performances, at a time when the club was still a kind of "city nomad" without an adequate pitch to match its successes, the supporters wanted a platform on which the Blues could finally build a decent home. The idea finally came to life on 19 October 1924 with the opening of the new ground.

The initiative to build the Purgers' home itself emerged in 1922, when the City of Zagreb designated the location: a plot of land south of the main railway line, along Koturaška cesta. As early as the end of the 19th century, the site had been intended for cycling races and was used by the I. Croatian Cyclists' Club. In the meantime, however, the racetrack had been abandoned and had become overgrown with thistles and weeds. The owner, Vilko Agić, agreed to a settlement and the sale of the land, but Gradjanski was facing liquidity problems at the time, so the whole story stalled before it had even begun. It was revived a year later, after a magnificent tour of Spain on which the Blues defeated Barcelona.

The City Council bought the land and then, by a decision dated 20 May 1923, handed it over to Gradjanski for what was then a minimal, symbolic rent. In December 1923, according to plans drawn up by architect Đuro Kastl, work began, only to be abruptly halted soon afterwards because of a major flood. The overflowing Sava also flooded the site of the new ground.

Half a year later, the club set up a Working Committee with the aim of completing the construction of the ground as quickly as possible. They immediately established a Consortium for the Construction of the Ground, which secured the funds for the entire project. The money came from private sources, but also thanks to their business connections. Regular construction resumed on 19 June 1924, and the ceremonial opening was held exactly four months later.

The ground was built under the patronage of the then mayor, Vjekoslav Heinzel. The ceremony was also attended by the leader of the Croatian people and president of the Croatian Peasant Party, Stjepan Radić, who delivered a commemorative speech.

At the opening itself, in an exhibition match, Gradjanski defeated its then strong rival, SAŠK from Sarajevo, 2-1. These two sides had faced each other a year earlier in the final matches for the national champion in the first-ever championship in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.

Until then, the club had played as a "nomad": it would rent a ground and then set aside 10 percent of its total revenue for the owner. This gave the team basic conditions to work in, but they later paid the price: in 1925 the club also became the owner of the ground, but in doing so it took on more debt than it could manage, and seven years later it was facing bankruptcy.

Before moving to Koturaška, the Purgers had won one championship title, in 1923, and at the new ground, until the move to the Maksimir pitch in 1948, they added six more cup trophies, playing the majority of their home matches at that very ground.

In 2024, on the 100th anniversary of the ground's construction, GNK Dinamo placed a commemorative plaque at the site as a reminder of an important day in the history of the Purgers' club, as well as of the city of Zagreb.