D.W. Winkelman Co. Inc.

Syracuse's Most Tax-Delinquent Property

D.W. Winkelman Co. Inc. is an abandoned warehouse complex on the east side of Syracuse, New York. Owned and operated by Dwight W. Winkelman, the company originated in Chicago in 1924 before relocating to New York in 1930 for Adirondack construction projects. Winkelman established the Syracuse office in 1937 to oversee heavy civil work across the region.

Specializing in large-scale infrastructure, the company built airports, highways, military bases, and industrial facilities. By 1988 the site was listed as an inactive hazardous waste area after vandals ruptured transformers and released PCB-laden oil onto the property—an event that marked the start of decades-long abandonment and tax delinquency for the parcel.

Sawtooth clerestory windows lighting the work bays inside the abandoned D.W. Winkelman Co. warehouse

Collapsed interior office structure inside the abandoned D.W. Winkelman Co. warehouse

Crumbling masonry walls and exposed framing inside the D.W. Winkelman Co. warehouse

Crushed blue sedan surrounded by debris inside the D.W. Winkelman Co. warehouse

Heavy trucks left behind inside the abandoned D.W. Winkelman Co. warehouse

Stripped Chevrolet C60 dump truck parked inside the former D.W. Winkelman Co. warehouse

Wide interior view of the D.W. Winkelman Co. warehouse with open bays and debris

Collapsing south-side garage doors of the D.W. Winkelman Co. warehouse

Historical images

1938 aerial photograph showing early development of the D.W. Winkelman Co. site

1945 newspaper article announcing a New York State bid involving D.W. Winkelman Co.

2014 oblique aerial photograph of the D.W. Winkelman Co. complex

Sources

Syracuse.com - A tour of the top 10 tax-delinquent properties in Syracuse
VHB Spatial - Onondaga County GIS
Cornell University Digital Library - Historical Aerial Photography
Newspapers.com - Dunkirk Evening Observer Archives