StamfordCT

Puzzles in Stamford's 2007 assessments

I'm finding some puzzling things in the October, 2007 Stamford assessment database, and wonder how they might be explained.

The Taxpayer at 72nd and Madison

In a recent NYT, there is an article about the building on the southwest corner of 72nd and Madison in NYC. Twice in the article and once in the caption to the photos, the building is referred to as a "taxpayer" or "taxpayer-style building."

The article describes the 2 buildings which have occupied the 48' by 100' lot on the sw corner of 72nd and Madison: the first was a 5-story mansion built in 1894, which was occupied by an ex-wife of William K. Vanderbilt II.  On the northwest corner stood Louis Tiffany's grand house, and Gertrude Rhinelander was building her chateau, now the Ralph Lauren store, on the southeast corner.  The mansion remained a private home until 1951, when it was

... replaced with a two-story-high taxpayer-style building, designed by Boak & Raad with severe simplicity.

Ralph Lauren acquired the old Rhinelander mansion for its flagship store in 1986, and seven years later took over the taxpayer on the site of the Cutting house. It has operated a store there since then.