New tax collector building in Drew Park

A new government building in Tampa includes a throwback to Drew Field, an Army Air Corps base in World War II.

The new Hillsborough tax collector's branch in Drew Park opens next Tuesday, but artists and historians were working on the lobby today.

They hung a large, steel model of a famous P-51 fighter plane from the ceiling. It's framed by replicas of engines from B-17 bombers.

After the war -- Drew Field became Tampa International Airport.

"You had big, four-engine bombers that were bigger than any airliners out there," says historian Dennis Cole, who is helping with the exhibit. "So it was already built a little bigger than it needed to be with the future in mind."

The new, 20,000 square foot facility costs around $4 million.

Hillsborough tax collector Doug Beldon says the cost is shared by the state motor vehicle agency.