ROSCOE VILLAGE — The Chicago Rat Hole — a rodent-shaped hole in a Roscoe Village sidewalk that took the city and social media by storm earlier this year — was removed by city crews Wednesday morning.
Neighbor Georgina Ulrich, who lives across the street from the rat hole in the 1900 block of West Roscoe Street, captured its removal and shared video footage with Block Club. The removal process started around 8 a.m. Wednesday, and the rat hole’s slab of concrete, with the hole still intact, was driven away by trucks from the city’s transportation department within about 30 minutes, she said.
Ulrich watched the removal with her 1-year-old son, Louis, from his bedroom window, she said.
Officials removed the rat hole due to complaints about the hole from neighbors, said Paul Sajovec, Waguespack’s chief of staff. CDOT gave the alderman’s office a “heads up” about the removal, he said.
“They inspected [the sidewalk piece] and made a determination that it warranted the replacement of the sidewalk square,” Sajovec said. “We’ve been getting complaints from people for months now.”
It’s customary for the city to remove sidewalk slabs in response to complaints from residents over issues such as tripping hazards or a word that’s written into the concrete before it dries, Sajovec said.
When asked if the rat hole’s sidewalk piece will be preserved, moved elsewhere or destroyed, Sajovec said the rat hole’s future is up to CDOT. The missing sidewalk square will be replaced in the meantime, he said.
A CDOT spokesperson said the agency is removing and replacing sections of damaged sidewalk on Roscoe Street between Wolcott and Damen in coordination with the alderman’s office. Crews removed and successfully preserved the square of sidewalk containing the famous “Chicago rat hole” and are storing it temporarily while its future location is determined.
Despite the hole’s existence for decades, it recently caused controversy among Roscoe Village neighbors after a local comedian posted about it on social media, leading to its virality, a Wikipedia page and attention from millions of people online.
A once quiet street became filled with people vying to see viral phenomenon. Two couples even had their proposal and marriage by the rat hole (which many locals believe was actually the imprint of a squirrel).
Visitors have since left gifts beside the rat hole and along the sidewalk, creating shrines with coins, alcohol, weed and condoms, among other items, neighbors said.
Living near the rat hole “felt like you were living next to a celebrity,” said Grace Pynnonen, a neighbor across the street and a few houses down from its former sidewalk square — though she believed it was a squirrel impression.
“My family would reach out from all over the country,” she said. “And my friends are like, ‘Have you seen the Chicago Rat Hole?’ I’m like, ‘Actually, I see it right now from my desk where I’m working.’”
While the rat hole was “amusing,” she said it continued to be disruptive for neighbors living closer to it.
Pynnonen appreciated visitors who left coins — which she used for laundry — but items like pills, condoms and alcohol were concerning in a neighborhood with so many children around, she said.
“People maybe think it was a passing fad, and it was really big in January,” she said. “But there is definitely still probably like two dozen people visiting everyday.”
While the rat hole may have been Roscoe Village on the map for some people, she said there are plenty of nearby restaurants, wine bars and coffee shops worth visiting instead.
“Roscoe Village is still a place you should visit, even though we no longer have the rat hole,” Pynnonen said. “It’s a really great neighborhood and people should check it out. And I will miss the rat hole.”
Lora Bothwell, a daycare provider who lives a few houses down from the rat hole, said she’ll miss the rat hole. Its preservation doesn’t provide much consolation.
“It’s what makes our block special, not that it’s being preserved,” she said.
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