Owner of Outsiders House in Tulsa plans a second museum

The owner of The Outsiders House Museum in Tulsa is planning a second museum at an undisclosed location to hold items related to “The Outsiders” novelist S.E. Hinton.

Danny Boy O’Connor, a member of the House of Pain hip-hop group who was deeply influenced by the book and film, purchased the ramshackle north Tulsa house a few years ago and refurbished it to hold memorabilia from “The Outsiders” movie, released in 1983. The house was used during key scenes in Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of Hinton’s novel. The museum opened in 2019.

O’Connor said he has a location in mind for the second museum, and it wouldn’t be at the Outsiders House Museum at 731 N. St. Louis Ave.

According to the Tulsa World:

O’Connor has accumulated so much memorabilia that he doesn’t have room for it all at the Outsiders House Museum. Recent acquisitions are large-scale items that will require a significant display space. Among them: A fountain that should look familiar to fans of “The Outsiders.”
O’Connor located Daryl Fowler, whose company built the fountain used for a dramatic scene in the 1983 movie. The centerpiece of the fountain still exists and Fowler is loaning it to O’Connor and artist Tate Steinsiek so the centerpiece can be duplicated and the fountain can be re-created.

Here’s the pivotal fountain scene from the movie:

Almost all the “The Outsiders” movie was shot in Tulsa because Hinton’s inspirations for the book occurred there when she wrote it at age 17. Scenes included at least two Route 66 landmarks — the Circle Cinema and the Admiral Twin Drive-In theater.

“The Outsiders” film proved notable for casting young actors who later became stars — Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, Diane Lane and Ralph Macchio. Music legend Tom Waits also appeared in the film.

“The Outsiders” house sits about a half-mile north of the old Second Street alignment of Route 66.

(Image of Danny Boy O’Connoer and The Outsiders house in 2016 via Facebook)