TULSA -- A hip-hop artist from California is taking a break from music to focus on another project in north Tulsa.
Danny Boy O'Connor bought the home known as "The Outsiders" house two weeks ago with the intent of turning it into a museum honoring the legacy of the book and film.
"It's time because we're losing too many other culturally significant stuff in the world now," O'Connor said. "I travel a lot, and I see what used to be and I see that it's no more. This is one thing that I think everyone kind of agrees needs to stay and needs to be saved, so that's what we're here to do."
O'Connor first saw the house in 2009 when his rap group House of Pain came to perform at Cain's Ballroom. As a huge fan of the movie, he had a hard time believing someone allowed it to fall into disrepair.
"After thinking about it enough times, I thought why don't you do it?" O'Connor said. "Why don't I do it?"
O'Connor now plans to completely renovate the house and turn it into a museum for "The Outsiders," where he will house his own personal collection of book and movie memorabilia.
"I have posters from around the world, lobby cards, home photos, personally photo collections, autographs, wardrobe," he said. "I have a little bit of everything."
His friend Zachary Matthews will serve as construction manager and will stage the living room and dining room just as it appeared from the set of 1983 movie.
"This [house] was the central location for the film, and to be able to save it, it's a no-brainer," Matthews said. "We have it frame by frame. We've got the list. We've got the couch. We've got the green curtains. We know the fish bowl we need to get, the pencil sharpeners, all of it."
The project now has the support of the woman who wrote "The Outsiders." S.E. Hinton sent out a tweet promoting the fundraiser set up on GoFundMe to pay for the $75,000 restoration.
The renovation also has the backing of the many fans who stop by all the time for pictures.
"I think it's really, really cool," said 12-year-old Ella Miller from Frisco, Texas.
"Yeah," her mother Katie added, "we'll definitely come back and go to the museum."
"I hope it gets a lot of recognition," Sharhonda Meadors of Tulsa said, "and people come out and realize the movie is based here in Tulsa. It's fun."
O'Connor said he would like the museum's opening to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the book's release, which means all the renovations need to be done by 2017.
To contribute to the restoration of "The Outsiders" house, visit the GoFundMe page here.
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