Denargo Market, a stretch of riverfront in Denver’s River North Art District, opened its first 4 acres to the public on Thursday.

Visitors will be greeted by Rhingo, the 30-foot-tall climbable sculpture of a rhinoceros. There’s a large green plaza, a community garden that’ll open for the next growing season, and new sidewalks and bike lanes along the South Platte River that connect to downtown.

And at the heart of a new playground, there stands a giant jungle gym tower.

“This will be night one of hopefully the rest of our lives in terms of the possibilities for Denargo Market,” said Sean Campbell, CEO of Denver-based development firm Formativ, at a media preview.

Denargo Market plans call for the massive new infill development to transform 17 acres of land into a riverfront district with 3 million square feet for housing, offices, a hotel and retail — making it one of Denver’s largest infill projects. It began construction nearly two years ago and is led by a joint venture between Formativ and Chicago-based Golub & Co.

The area was once home to Denver’s largest food market in the 20th century, hosting more than 500 stands, according to Denargo Market’s website. In 1971, a fire destroyed it and the site became mostly empty or used for industrial purposes.

The first 4 acres feature a riverfront park and a public plaza. Mayor Mike Johnston praised the developers for starting with public amenities first.

“It was a remarkable commitment to say ‘Before we’re going to build any buildings, we’re actually going to build a public space, we’re going to build the parks, where kids can play, where people can walk their dogs, long before someone can buy the first condo or move into the first apartment,’” Johnston said.

The team began with the park because there’s already residents living around the development, said Laura Newman, vice president of investment and development at Golub & Co., and the access to the South Platte River wasn’t walkable or safe.

“Everything that we’re adding here is making the place a very desirable place to be,” Newman said.

The developers compare the project to the big building boom behind Denver’s Union Station, filling vacant land behind the transit hub with apartments, restaurants and offices.

“​​We’re leading with parks and green space first, and the public realm first, but ultimately, it’ll be of a similar size and scale,” Newman said.

Denargo Market will have some of the tallest towers in RiNo, she said, some up to 20 stories tall.

Currently they plan to build about 10 buildings, Newman said.

“That is what we’re gonna try to build all over the city,” Johnston said about Denargo Market, mentioning his campaign to push his bond measure to fund projects across the city as Denver struggles with a budget deficit.

Coming next, a spokesperson for Denargo Market said, the project is preparing to open a beer garden operated by local events company Drink Denver.

Denargo Market was set to begin construction on its first building later this year, according to its website. But Newman said they’re waiting on market conditions to improve and work could begin next year.

The first building will be a 16-story apartment building with 380 units on the corner of Denargo and Delgany Streets. The development’s website said the apartments will feature protected mountain views to the west and city views to the south. Plans also call for a pool, a rooftop lounge and 4,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor.

The district — set to be built out over the next decade — plans to create about 1,000 units of housing.

“Whether you work or live here or you recreate here, or you encourage others to come, we’re all vested in the success of downtown Denver,” Campbell said. “This is a shining example in a very difficult time about how we do things together.”