Chicago lost one of its beloved (if polarizing) landmarks on Wednesday, the appropriately named “Rat Hole” — a small rodent-shaped indent in a sidewalk of the city’s North Side Roscoe Village neighbourhood.
Though many of the long-time residents in Roscoe Village have said the rat hole was a feature of the area for more than 20 years, the imprint achieved internet fame only months ago.
Much adored for its distinctive shape — as if a rat fell directly into the wet concrete, creating a splat mark that featured a distinguished claw and tail — the rat hole became an attraction for Chicagoans and tourists alike. Many left coins and trinkets to pay their respects to the rat hole, while others left snacks a rat might typically enjoy, such as Cheez-It crackers.
However, as of Wednesday morning, the rat hole is no more, replaced with a fresh paved sidewalk. The concrete containing the rat hole, as well as several of the connected sidewalk squares, were removed.
A spokesperson for the Chicago Department of Transportation told CBS News the sidewalk was replaced because of damage.
Fret not, rat hole admirers: the rat hole is not gone forever. The spokesperson said the sidewalk square with the famous hole was salvaged with the imprint still intact. The Chicago Department of Transportation will reportedly store the rat hole sidewalk square temporarily, until a future location is determined.
What is the ‘Rat Hole?’
The rat hole’s viral fame came after artist Winslow Dumaine, a Chicago resident, posted to social media site X declaring he’d made “a pilgrimage to the Chicago Rat Hole.”
As online attention grew, some locals got in on the fun and seized the opportunity to become internet trolls. One group of Chicagoans on TikTok playfully established the “Church of Ratology” and declared themselves protectors of the rat hole. “Peace, love and trash” was named Church of Ratology’s doctrine.
Another TikTok user made a mold of the rat hole so they could recreate the iconic imprint elsewhere.
Not everyone loved the rat hole.
Some neighbourhood residents complained the increasingly popular landmark was attracting unwanted attention, namely large gatherings where alcohol was allegedly consumed in public. Others opposed the rat hole by claiming its visitors were disturbing the peace and leaving trash.
In January, an unidentified person took it upon themselves to fill the rat hole with what appeared to be a white plaster. The filling was subsequently dug out by dedicated rat hole fans.
Chicago Department of Transportation spokesperson Erica Schroeder told the Associated Press the push to remove the rat hole sidewalk was a “collaborative decision between the city departments and the mayor’s office.”
Paul Sajovec, the chief of staff for the neighbourhood’s Alderman Scott Waguespack, also told the outlet he received numerous complaints over the last few months about people gathering on the uneven sidewalk to see the rat hole.
“It was just a combination of the fact that the sidewalk was uneven and also that people would show up at various times of the day and night and make a lot of noise and create other issues and problems,” he said of removing the sidewalk.
The rat hole was formerly found between Wolcott and Damen avenues in Roscoe Village.