Contest of 39 sites honors NYC square.

An eclectic mix of Times Square properties ranging from McHale's Restaurant to the Conde Nast building are vying for public favor in a contest now underway to help celebrate the area's 100th birthday.

The contest entitled "Design Times Square" is sponsored by the Times Square Alliance, founded in 1992 to improve and promote the area in order to retain the creativity, energy and edge that have made it an icon for entertainment, culture and urban life for a century.

"We hope that this program will lead people, especially those who care about design, to look at Times Square with fresh eyes," said Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance.

The alliance is asking for the public to choose three top designs from 39 properties in four categories: public art, architecture, interiors and, of course, signage.

"In an era when minimalism and restraint are so revered, thank heaven for Times Square which serves as a beacon of cacophonous vitality," said Kitty Hawks, who is one of the Design Times Square seven jurors who helped to select the properties in the contest. "The fact that the jury had to consider churches, hotels, fast food restaurants, theatres, stores, office buildings, subway stations and new signs tells you everything about this glorious area."

The 39 properties were selected from 150 sites in the area.

The three sites voted public favorites will be announced in the fall of this year. In subsequent years, Design Times Square will focus only on recently construction quality design, with less of a nod to historic or iconic elements.

"Next year, we will focus on excellence in more recent design that is part of an ever-changing landscape of Times Square," Tompkins said.

To vote for a particular property the public can visit the website www.timessquarealliance.org

The contest is based on the annual Commerce Design Montreal that began in 1995, which encouraged businesses to use the services of design professionals, which gave them a competitive edge and improved the urban environment.

The Alliance works to improve and promote Times Square and provides core services with 50 public safety officers and 50 sanitation associates. The BID promotes local businesses, coordinates numerous major events like New Year's Eve and Broadway on Broadway, manages and information center and advocates on behalf of its Time Square constituents with respect to public policy, planning and quality-of-life issues. The alliance's territory runs from 40th to 53rd streets between 6th and 8th Avenues.