Dirty rat! Culprit fills in Chicago neighborhood landmark known as the “rat hole”

CHICAGO– You dirty rat!

In a city infamous for its gangster past, a perpetrator has filled in a landmark in Chicago’s Northside neighborhood that residents affectionately call the “rat hole.”

The indentation in the sidewalk on West Roscoe Street resembles the outline of a rat, claws, tail and all. It was reported on social media on Friday that the “rat hole” was filled with a substance similar to white plaster.

Transportation and Streets and Sanitation officials told the Chicago Tribune that the city did not support the infill — which may one day become part of the tongue-in-cheek lore of Windy City, like Al Capone’s safe and a roll of bronze faux feces on a fountain intended to remind people to pick up their dog poop.

Neighbors gathered Friday afternoon, using a brush and water, to scrub the shallow hole in the sidewalk and restore it to its “ratty” spot among the city’s iconic — if not strange — attractions.

Tributes including plastic flowers, a prayer candle, small toys, a pack of cigarettes and coins decorate what may have been the final resting place of ‘Lil Stucky’ or ‘Chimley’, names given by some in the neighborhood to the creature that once lay spread out there.

“In general, people just appreciate that our beautiful block is getting attention, even if it’s to look at a rat hole,” Jeff VanDam told the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday. “It’s a small, quirky feature of a neighborhood that we grow accustomed to, care about and want to protect.”

Chicago resident Winslow Dumaine heard about the “rat hole” from a friend and posted a photo of it on X, formerly known as Twitter, earlier this month. The photo attracted more than 5 million views, he said.

People living nearby said the print had been there for almost 20 years and, according to Dumaine, was made by a squirrel.

“I think the rat hole is ultimately a silly thing, but what made it so viral was the fact that thousands and thousands of people were involved in a big, sweet, heartfelt joke,” Dumaine told the newspaper. Stand.

“Chicago is proud of all the things that make Chicago difficult, and as much as Chicago hates rats, they love rats,” he added. “It’s part of our culture.”