A building that once buzzed with executives dreaming up the “Uncola” has sat empty near Shaw Park for more than a decade. Now the former 7UP world headquarters at 121 S. Meramec Avenue in Clayton is finally getting a second act, as developers transform it into a 118-unit apartment building called The Upton.
KAI Build and Kansas City-based Revive Capital Development are behind the $55 million overhaul, according to firstalert4.com. The plan calls for a mix of luxury studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units inside the 11-story structure, with an extensive collection of indoor and outdoor amenities designed to make the building feel like a self-contained retreat in the heart of Clayton.
Those amenities, per the same report, include a fitness center, club room, heated outdoor spa, entertainment and theater spaces, billiards, multiple fireplaces, a dog wash, a private resident speakeasy, a game room, outdoor kitchens, fire pits and a private dog park. The property will be managed by St. Louis-based 2B Residential once it's complete.
Preserving a Midcentury Icon
The redesign is being led by architect Chris Cedergreen, working alongside Kent Wagster of HDA Architects, with a stated goal of preserving the building's midcentury modern character even as it's converted for residential use. That distinctive look dates back to the building's original purpose: it served as 7UP's world headquarters during the launch of the company's Uncola campaign, running from the mid-1960s through the late 1970s.
7UP eventually moved its headquarters to Dallas, and St. Louis County purchased the building in 1988, at one point planning to house the county's World Trade Center there. Instead, the building later sat vacant for more than a decade before the county sold it to a developer for $3.8 million, according to stltoday.com.
KAI Build President Paul Giacoletto said the project will give new life to one of Clayton's most recognizable buildings, according to the article's report. KAI Build is partnering with Revive Capital Development and the broader project team, which the report states worked closely with the city of Clayton, its Board of Aldermen, city manager and mayor's office throughout the planning process. The team has framed the effort as preserving an important piece of St. Louis history while creating a modern residential development in downtown Clayton.
A Groundbreaking and a Bigger Pattern
A groundbreaking for The Upton is scheduled for October 6, according to the report. The site isn't the only nearby address drawing redevelopment interest — developer KDG has separately proposed a $70 million, 250-apartment project at the corner of Bonhomme and Meramec avenues in Clayton, on the site of the long-vacant former World Trade Center, per stltoday.com.
The Upton also fits into a broader regional trend of converting aging office space into housing. St. Louis lost more than 46,000 residents between 2000 and 2020, a 13.4% decline, and the city has come to see office-to-residential conversions as a critical tool for revitalization, according to Brookings. Downtown St. Louis has added more than 1,000 residential units across eight new buildings since 2019, with another 400 units across five projects in the pipeline, often supported by state historic preservation tax credits and city property tax abatements, the same analysis notes.
Other adaptive reuse projects in the region point to what's possible when older buildings get repurposed. The Woodward & Tiernan Printing Co. headquarters and factory, built in 1925, was converted into 164 loft-style apartments and later listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, according to St. Louis Magazine. That renovation went on to win a 2023 Housing Award from the American Institute of Architects.
