The OutsidersHouse Museum is a museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It aims to preserve the primary film set for the Curtis Brothers' house in the 1983 coming-of-age movie The Outsiders for fans to enjoy in the future. The museum was bought by Danny Boy O'Connor, a founding member of the hip hop groupHouse of Pain. A long-time fan of The Outsiders, O'Connor bought the house for $15,000 before ever setting foot inside. The inaugural ribbon-cutting and opening of the museum was set for August 9th, 2019. The house is in North Tulsa at the intersection of St. Louis Avenue and East Independence Street.
The house was purchased in 2015 by musician Danny O'Connor. O'Connor was a long-time fan and collector of the movie's memorabilia and, after playing at Tulsa's Cain's Ballroom in 2009, he asked a cab driver to take him on a tour of the neighbourhood. O'Connor saw the house and fell in love with it and, after the house's tenants grew eight months behind in rent, the former owner agreed to sell the property.
Restoration and renovation
O'Connor bought the house sight unseen for $15,000 and had to sneak in through a window to get inside. It had to be emptied of detritus before restoration could begin. O'Connor teamed up with Oklahoma residents to carry out the restoration, which involved extensive renovations including removing walls and ceilings. A crew of volunteers shoveled trash for three days while ripping out broken home appliances and using bug bombs to fumigate the property. As part of the restoration efforts, the renovation team worked to make sure that the house looked as it did in the film, such as by retaining fence damage and missing wood panels in windows. The project was supported by the TYPros Foundation, the Oklahoma Film and Music Office, Visit Tulsa and the Oklahoma City Council, and items and exhibits were donated from fans from across the world. Fundraisers for the project were held in August 2016 and May 2017.
The Outsiders House Museum
The Outsiders House Museum is designed to be a museum that's created by the fans and for the fans. It spans the entire house and features the front porch, living room, dining room, bathroom, and kitchen as they appeared in the film. The back rooms are used to exhibit paraphernalia including posters, magazines, a switchblade collection, Francis Ford Coppola's director chair, and Matt Dillon's jacket, as well as items that match those on the original film set that were sourced from local antique shops. The Museum was scheduled to open in late 2017. However, the house was still undergoing renovations in March, 2018. A new date for the public opening has not been announced.
