Chicago’s popular Riot Fest has a new pitch — and a promise — for the future of the viral “rat hole,” which was removed from its spot in a Roscoe Village sidewalk and preserved while city officials determine what to do with it.
The punk rock music festival has offered the Chicago Department of Transporation $5,000 to purchase the slab of concrete holding the rat hole, with a promise to “display it at Riot fest every year.”
The pitch was first posted Thursday morning by the group, with several follow-up messages posted on X, formerly Twitter, shortly after.
The Chicago Department of Transportation has not yet responded to the request, but previously said the fate of the iconic piece of sidewalk, which has an impression resembling the outline of a rat — claws, tail and all — will be determined in a “collaborative decision between the city departments and the mayor’s office.”
The viral sidewalk landmark affectionately called the “rat hole” was removed Wednesday after city officials determined the section bearing the imprint of an animal was damaged and needed to be replaced, officials said.
The imprint has been a quirk of a residential block in Chicago’s North Side neighborhood of Roscoe Village for years, but it found fresh fame in January after a Chicago comedian shared a photo on the social platform X.
The attention, however, quickly grew old for neighbors who complained about visitors at all hours, sometimes leaving coins and other items scattered across the sidewalk. Plus, many in the neighborhood argued that the imprint was actually caused by a squirrel.
Erica Schroeder, a spokesperson for the Chicago Department of Transportation, said the square of sidewalk “containing the famous ‘Chicago rat hole’” is now in temporary storage.
Schroeder said the rat hole section, as well as other portions of sidewalk along Roscoe Street, were removed by Department of Transportation crews Wednesday morning after the agency inspected them and determined they needed to be replaced because of damage.
New concrete was poured later Wednesday, Schroeder said.
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