That's really the crux of the issue, isn't it? Is it or is it not a reasonably-expected duty of an office building's lobby security station to call a cab for a tenant or visitor to the building?

Some have suggested phrasing the question indirectly, such as "What's the best way to get a taxi from here to the airport?" Let me clarify and restate what I said in the OP: I was polite but direct in my question, and if it is indeed part of the person's duties, I don't see any need to dress up or disguise the fact that I'm making a request. For example, when I go to the registration desk of a hotel, I don't ask them if they know of the best way for me to check into the hotel. When I go to the bell desk, I don't ask if they know of the best way for me to check a bag. In a restaurant, I don't ask the waitperson if they happen to know the best way to order my meal or otherwise beat around the bush.

I totally understand the issue of not talking down to servicepeople. My question was whether a polite but direct question about a taxi to an office building's security station is or is not within reason. And, opinion here seems to be equally divided.

I do in fact have a smartphone. A list of local taxi companies would be a start should I have no other option, but it is far from the ideal solution, especially if I'm in a suburban office park type of situation. One selection might result in a taxi in 3 minutes, and another might be 30 minutes. I, as a visitor to an unfamiliar city, have no way of knowing.

Well that's the thing, isn't it? I would suggest that anyone whose job is to staff something that would be considered a "front desk" would have customer service as part of their job function, if not it being the primary function.

As I've explained before, the issue isn't the need for someone to place a phone call for me that I could easily place myself. I have a smartphone with Internet browser on me at all times. The issue isn't having someone else place a phone call that I could easily place myself - the issue is that I'm in an unfamiliar place and do not know who to call.

As an interesting coincidence, just a few days ago I had the occasion for the first time to take a taxi from my office building to somewhere else in town because my car was in the shop. In my city, I know that "Yellow Cab" is a reasonable enough answer to the taxicab question, and could have easily called them myself. But, mostly because of this thread, I decided to try out the security station in the lobby. I asked "Can you call a cab for me?" politely but directly. Their response was "Sure" and they picked up the phone, dialed the full number without looking it up, and made the request. I don't know if they happened to know the number off the top of their head or if the number was pasted behind the counter, but they certainly didn't look it up anywhere and didn't use speed dial.

After they got off the phone, I got into a conversation with them about this issue. I asked if he considered calling a taxi part of his job duties. He said "Well, I'm here, and the phone's right here, so why not?" I then explained my bad experience at another building, and that I had gotten into a discussion on the topic (without mentioning FT). His response was, "Well, some people find themselves in the wrong career field."

So, after all of this, I guess I still don't know. There seems to be no consensus either way. If I had to make a best guess, I'd say that it probably depends on how often the question comes up at any particular location. In my building, which is in a "midtown" locale (that is, not downtown, but not suburban), it must come up often enough that the security guy knew what number to dial without looking it up. Perhaps in suburban locations, it's rare enough that people use taxis that the question is rarely asked, and because of this it's not in the psyche of the security folks that it's part of their job.