CHICAGO (CN) — Kelli Doremus knew she wanted a tattoo to commemorate living in Chicago for a decade, but didn’t want something stereotypical like the city’s skyline or flag.
So, she opted for the next best thing — the Chicago rat hole.
The rodent-shaped imprint in a sidewalk on the 1900 block of West Roscoe Street has become a cultural phenomenon, after gaining viral fame in early January 2024.
Social media posts documented Chicagoans' pilgrimage to the rat hole, where a shrine to the rat — complete with candles, alcohol bottles, candy, cheese and even vials of estrogen — quickly emerged. Rat hole worshippers left behind donations of change, cigarettes and treats, all drowned in a puddle of rainwater and infamous Chicago liquor Malort.
Chicagoans dubbed the rat “Chimley,” and the Riot Fest Historical Society even created a plaque in his honor. There’s been a proposal and a full-blown wedding at the now-notorious Roscoe Village spot, which locals say has been on the block for nearly two decades.
When the hole was mysteriously filled with concrete on January 19, disciples of the rat hole quickly worked to dig up this piece of Chicago history.
Lakeview resident Josh Crotty called the rat-shaped imprint “quintessential Chicago.” Ezra Zacharias agreed, adding that people love to think of New York as the city of the rats, though Chicago might really own that title.
A resident on the block chimed in from her porch, calling out, “it’s not a rat, it’s a squirrel!”
While the rat — or maybe squirrel — hole has been become a fun attraction for people all over the city, residents of the three-flat building directly above it have said enough is enough.
One resident took to Reddit to share their frustrations with the crowds of people on their sidewalk littering alcohol bottles, food and garbage in front of the rat hole. Residents have also complained about being threatened because some visitors think perhaps they filled in the famous rat hole.
“This past weekend was absolute hell for me and my neighbors. We have always liked the rat (or squirrel) — it was a cute, quirky little thing in our neighborhood,” the resident wrote on Reddit Jan. 22 under the username rat-hole-neighbor. “People would smile and laugh as they walked by, and that was it. It's been there at least 20 years, (as far as I know). But now the internet has learned about it, and taken things waaaaay too far. What was once a fun little quirk has become a trashy, cheap marketing ploy.”
Jason Bayer, who’s lived in Roscoe Village for the past two years, said he could understand why the people who live there are frustrated.
“We’ve been by multiple times where there’s been condoms on the ground, they left pizza and stuff like that out and well, now you're going to actually bring in actual rats with this kind of behavior,” Bayer said.
He added that he thinks the rat hole is just having its 15 minutes of fame and that the hype surrounding it will blow over.
Alderman Scott Waguespack of the 32nd Ward has reportedly said that the city may replace the concrete slab, although the alderman's office did not respond to Courthouse News Service's requests for comment.
Local business owner Adam Solovy said he thinks people are drawn to the rat hole as a funny escape from everything else going on in the world.
Solovy said it would be "a waste of money and resources to fill in the rat hole when that money could be used for something that really needs it — like the schools or police."
Bayer said he doesn’t think the concrete slab containing the rat hole needs to be replaced, especially since it’s brought so many people to the neighborhood, which has helped the local businesses.
Some local businesses have even leaned into the rat hole bit. The Reveler, a bar adjacent to the rat hole on the 3400 block of Damen, has started offering $5 “rathole shots,” consisting of Malort and a splash of grenadine. An artist at Noble Coyote Tattoo even created a flash sheet of rat hole tattoos.
"I saw the artist's rat hole-inspired flash sheet on Instagram and I just knew I had to have it," Doremus said.
The rat hole's wide-reaching influence has even reached audiences outside of Chicago.
Libby Rule, a Chicago visitor from Kansas City, said the rat hole was her final stop in the city before she headed to the airport.
Rule said she thinks people are drawn to it because everyone loves a silly little thing to celebrate, and she remarked on how the internet can bring people together.
“It’s a cultural moment, and so obviously it’s going to be ephemeral, but we can still celebrate it,” she said.
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