Two Hunters Park: A Tribute to Mark Martinez and Joey Irwin
Turning Tragedy Into Remembrance
Parks all around the world are known for igniting emotions of hope, peace, and optimism. Two Hunters Park, a commemorative park honoring the lives of Mark Martinez and Joey Irwin of Firestone, CO is no exception.
The commemorative park, named for the two men’s love of hunting and fishing, was created and designed to turn the site of a devastating tragedy into a place of remembrance for the grieving family and their community after an explosion destroyed the Martinez’s family home in 2017.
After many conversations with Erin Martinez, the wife of Mark Martinez and sister to Joey Irwin, our design team set out to create a park that encourages visitors to share in the happy memories that Erin and her family enjoyed with Mark and Joey. What arose from those discussions was an impactful, detailed design that captures the memories of two lives well-lived.
The following guides you through some of the design components the Martinez family and our team created to honor these two men.
The Park Entrance
To allow for easy access, there are two entrances into the park. An entrance from the adjacent community trail enters the park from the south, while the main entrance is located along the neighborhood street that once aligned the Martinez residence. This monumental gateway into the park welcomes visitors with illuminated signage showcasing the name “Two Hunters Park”. Pheasant artwork adorn the boulders forecasting more detail to come.
customized artwork
As visitors make their way through the park, they will encounter custom artwork that leaves a personal touch to each remembrance area. These special areas serve as a reminder of how Mark, Joey, and their two dogs were committed to conservation, hunting, family, friends, their country, and their faith. Trout, fly-fishing flies, pheasant, and elk antler sculptures are examples of the custom metal artwork that rest amongst the surrounding native, wildflower and tall grasses throughout.
Boulders and seat-walls in the landscape also include personal touches of sandblasted silhouettes reflecting Mark and Erin’s wedding vows, the tall grasses of pheasant hunting and Joey’s love/hate relationship with the game of golf.
When spring arrives, various spring bulbs, perennials, and shrubs will bring renewed life to this extraordinary park.
THE PERGOLA, OR THE “FAMILY ROOM”
Visitors eventually arrive at the center of the park, an area known as the “Family Room”. This area holds small nuances for the family members and symbolizes the special times shared together such as family camping trips, memorable card games, and playing a family favorite match of Tetris. Two curved shade pergolas surround this space to protect and provide shelter for sitting, relaxing, and reflecting. A large, raised planter sits in the center of the “Family Room” with one singular oak tree symbolizing family.
When night falls, landscape lighting, seat wall lighting and custom log lights illuminate the path for visitors to enjoy and continue their experience throughout the evening.
Our design team, Shanen Weber, Melanie Ames, Niki Keeler-Cabela and Ackerman Engineering, would like to thank the family, friends, and community affected by this tragedy for the chance to contribute to something so incredibly important. They would also like to thank American Civil Constructors, Atomic Forge (metal artwork), and Leuthold Sandblasting for their time, patience, and attention to detail.
