Kenneth
All that may be true but just because #2's greens are unique doesn't mean Ross didn't design them that way.
This was his home course and he never stopped working on it. He had plans for changes on the drawing board the day he died. So it got a lot of attention, producing a record renovators and restorers could refer to. I think the green rebuild of 1996 was based on 1960 documentary evidence from one of Ross's assistants.
Secondly, my understanding is Ross designed this course from the start to challenge the very best golfers. He meant it as a tournament course form the start, one possible explanation for how #2 greens could differ from others he designed, even those nearby. As a result, according to Mandell's book #1 was far more popular prior to WW2.
Lastly, there HAS been one major impact of maintenance since the course's opening: the slopes surrounding the greens originally were maintained, by intent, at rough length not fairway length.
According to the nephew of the founder Tufts, Ross intended to present a test of chipping. Balls were supposed to get hung up at odd angles and lies.
IMHO this sounds like a plausible explanation for Ross indeed choosing to build raised greens. Photos in Mandell's book show not only raised greens but several greens with wild contours - an aspect of Ross's design that does appear muted today.
Mark