Salt & Straw representatives presented a design for removable vinyl artwork on several storefront windows at 540 Hudson Street, a contemporary building in the Greenwich Village Historic District. The applicant said the project would use removable exterior vinyl on several small window fields and a fully covered metal transom panel behind the storefront glass; the shop showed precedent work on other commercial locations and a grayscale vinyl already installed behind a transom that was staff‑approved.

"The design is inspired by the tree‑lined streets and stoop ironwork of the Village," said Brenna Sheehan, who presented on behalf of the applicant. She said the proposed mural would be externally mounted and reversible, and that the full‑coverage panel would be installed where the walk‑in freezer abuts a window and where interior grayscale coverings already exist.

Committee members and several public commenters questioned whether a colorful, fully covering vinyl mural of this scale is appropriate in a designation area. Albert (committee member) said he had not seen a comparable approval in the district and that the proposal reads as decorative signage rather than an architectural treatment. Pete (public commenter) and others cited nearby examples of temporary installations approved with strict time limits and urged the committee to treat permanent vinyl differently.

Applicants said the mural would be removable and that portions of the storefront are already covered in grayscale panels that were staff‑approved. They also said the mural would not include additional lighting and that the gold lettering on the storefront had previously been approved by Landmarks staff. The committee did not vote at the meeting; members asked the applicant to confirm permanence, materials, and to consider a limited or time‑bounded approach, and to provide clearer precedents within the district.

The committee noted the difference between a new building in the district and traditional historic façades and asked staff to weigh in on district guidelines governing fully covered exterior vinyls.