Swedenborg Foundation, Inc. v. Lewisohn

In our view, appellant foundation is not entitled under section 421 of the Real Property Tax Law to exemption from taxation.

Appellant, a nonprofit corporation, was incorporated on October 5, 1850 as "The American Swedenborg Printing & Publishing Society” under an 1848 act providing for the incorporation of "benevolent, charitable, scientific and missionary societies” (L 1848, ch 319). The original charter set forth its corporate purposes as follows: "That the business and objects solely of the Society are the printing, publishing and circulating the Theological Works and Writings of Emanuel…