N-tert-Butyl-3-methyl-2-pyridinecarboxamide (I) was treated with two equivalents of butyllithium at -40 C, and the resulting dianion was C-alkylated with 3-chlorobenzyl chloride (II) to provide the phenetylpyridine (III). Further refluxing with phosphoryl chloride afforded nitrile (IV), which was condensed with the piperidinyl Grignard reagent (V) to yield, after hydrolysis, ketone (VI). Acid-catalyzed cyclization of ketone (VI) produced the tricyclic compound (VII). Demethylation was then accomplished by conversion to the ethyl carbamate (VIII) by treatment with ethyl chloroformate, followed by hydrolysis to the N-unsubstituted piperidine (IX). Finally, acetylation of (IX) in the presence of pyridine provided the target amide.