A community center and small park rose from a distinctly industrial site on 35th Street in Denver’s River North (RiNo) neighborhood because of the combined efforts of the City of Denver, nonprofit organizations and the arts set there.

Near the banks of the South Platte River, the RiNo ArtPark will open to the public Sept. 24 with the 27th branch of the Denver Public Library, affordable art studios and gallery by RedLine Contemporary Art Center and a restaurant/beverage incubator by Focus Points Family Resource Center. It’s owned and operated by the RiNo Art District.

“We’ve taken buildings that were slated for demolition and did what we do best here in the Art District, we got creative,” said John Deffenbaugh, the District’s projects director. “Together we turned it into an empowering space for everyone in our community.”

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Tracy Weil, co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit RiNo Arts District, said he has walked by the site since 2007 and followed it closely as the City of Denver bought the former Interstate Trucking Co. building, next to the Denver Police building that formerly housed recovered stolen or lost bicycles and used to auction them off there.

The city’s original plan was to raze the whole structure and put a park there. But after public planning meetings, the sentiment arose to re-use the buildings for art or the community, Weil said.

The plan evolved and the city leased the building to the District. Instead of demolishing the buildings, planners removed the middle section to create a plaza filled with green foliage, bookended by two large buildings. The organization is now raising money to pay for the $4.5 million adaptive re-use development.

“This is a great example of public-private partnership,” Deffenbaugh said. “There was no green here – it was asphalt, concrete, timber and steel … We needed green space for a cultural park.”

“We were pleased with the overall idea of bringing green to this forgotten place,” said architect Michael Moore, principal and founder of Tres Birds. “The site will now be a place where many will dwell and spend time.”

“It took a lot of people stepping up over time to make this happen.”

The planners got creative, of course, including little touches like bringing large concrete “hoppers” from the other side of the river and plopping them in the middle of the green space – now lively painted with bright colors

The affordable studio space is meant for emerging artists who need creative space to take that next step, said Louise Martorano, executive director of RedLine.

“The artists at our ArtPark location will have access to many of the programmatic offerings as well as professional development and networking opportunities that the RedLine residency program provides,” said Martorano.

Popular Denver artist and Alto Gallery founder Anthony Garcia Sr. will curate and operate the gallery surrounded by the studios.

In the other building across the plaza, Focus Points Family Resource Center will operate the small food business incubator – similar to its Comal Heritage Food Incubator across the river. It will serve the micro-businesses’ food and beverage creations to ArtPark visitors.

“This is going to be good for the area long-term,” said Arden Lewis, incubator program manager. “Small businesses can build up some history and credibility in-house here. … They will feed off each other’s vitality and different perspectives.”

Free shuttles are planned to get residents from the surrounding neighborhoods here, including Gobeville, Elyria-Swansea, Five Points and Cole.

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“We’re excited to open and bring library services to an area that needs it,” said Oliva Gallegos, Denver Public Library communications manager.

With real estate prices in the trendy neighborhood some of the highest in metro Denver, the library couldn’t even imagine a branch there.

“We would not be able to be here without the affordable lease space, it would have been cost prohibitive,” Gallegos said.

Said Jenny LaPerriere, manager of library neighborhood services: “One of our values is creativity. We’re living that value here.”