Kansas City, Mo. ? The proposed redevelopment of a historic downtown skyscraper into 220 upscale apartments took a big step forward Thursday with the hiring of architects and the purchase of land for parking.

Devine deFlon Yaeger of Kansas City will be teamed with Corgan Associates of Dallas to prepare architectural plans for renovating the 35-story Fidelity National Bank building.

The developers, Simbol Commercial and Housing Horizons LLC, a subsidiary of Kimberly-Clark, also have bought the adjacent vacant property once occupied by the Columbia National Bank building and the seven-story Title Building. The properties had been owned by UMB Bank.

The Columbia National property would be used for a 350- to 500-space parking garage should the project move forward. Plans call for the top of the garage to be a 15,000-square-foot urban garden for residents.

“The incredible legacy of the Fidelity building raises the bar for our vision,” said Glenn Solomon, principal of Simbol Commercial.

A final decision on whether to proceed is expected next month. Developers envision starting construction later this year, with completion expected in spring 2004.

The future of the Title Building is uncertain. It may be renovated into apartments and commercial space, although it could be razed should a larger site be needed for the garage, Solomon said.

“We’ll have to decide rather quickly,” he said. “It’s a big dilemma.”

The bunny-eared Fidelity National tower was built in 1931, but its namesake tenant barely occupied it before going out of business during the Depression. It was a federal office building until 1995, and has been vacant since then.

The proposal calls for the building to be renovated into 220 luxury units. Other components include a premier restaurant on the first floor, a health club, and up to 60,000 square feet of office space on the lower levels.

“We’re aggressively looking for a tenant,” Solomon said.

Devine deFlon Yaeger was founded in 1973 and has extensive experience with historic renovation projects. It recently served as architect for the restoration of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception downtown and the renovation of the Sophian Plaza.