Chicago’s Infamous ‘Rat Hole’ Removed, Animal Imprint Had Become Unofficial Landmark

After two decades in Chicago’s North Side neighborhood Roscoe Village, the unofficial landmark was removed on Wednesday, April 24

Chicago’s “rat hole” has been removed.

On Wednesday, April 24, Chicago city officials removed the sidewalk section of the animal imprint, with the intent to replace it with a new slab, reports the Associated Press, the Chicago Tribune and ABC 7.

For over two decades, the infamous imprint has been a fixture in Chicago’s North Side neighborhood Roscoe Village. However, after one comedian shared a photo of the sidewalk in January, it had become an unofficial Chicago landmark.

Due to the spike in attention for the rodent-shaped dent, people began flocking to the 1900th block of West Roscoe, frustrating nearby neighbors with frequent visitors at all hours of the day.

A spokesperson for the Chicago Department of Transportation, Erica Schroeder, said the sidewalk slab “containing the famous ‘Chicago rat hole’” is now in temporary storage, per AP. She said the removal was a “collaborative decision between the city departments and the mayor’s office.”

Along with the “rat hole” slab, other portions of the Roscoe Street sidewalk were also removed by the city's Department of Transportation. The sidewalk slabs were inspected and deemed in need of replacement due to damage.

AP reports that one neighbor, Georgina Ulrich, filmed crews operating a concrete saw, a forklift and a truck to remove the slab.

Schroeder confirmed that new concrete was poured later Wednesday.

Related: Couple Goes Viral After Getting Married at Famous Chicago Rat-Hole Shrine: 'Why Not?' (Exclusive)

“The Alderman’s office has definitely received complaints from neighbors about people gathering and people placing a bunch of different objects in the public way there,” Schroeder told AP.

Alderman Scott Waguespack had received complaints over the past several months, his chief of staff Paul Sajovec said, according to the outlet. The calls included complaints about the pavement’s uneven surface as well as the hoards of people visiting the scene.

“It runs the gamut,” Sajovec said of the neighbors’ varying opinions about the sidewalk indent, per the Chicago Tribune. “There are some neighbors that expected someone to rip it out the second it became an issue. We heard from other people that they liked it the way it was.”

“There’s discussion about what could or should happen with it,” Sajovec added. “It’s a piece of city infrastructure.”

Before the removal, some visitors tried to seal the hole, and take photos. One couple even said their “I Dos” in the presence of the imprint.

Raj Mahal and his partner, Tyler, exclusively told PEOPLE that they first held their reception in the West Loop neighborhood before heading over to the rat hole. Mahal explained that about 50 random people were at the rat hole when he and his partner tied the knot.

He posted a TikTok video of the couple’s special moment, which then went viral with 1.4 million views.

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A representative for the Chicago Department of Transportation did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Wednesday.

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