Palais Royal Hotel

 The large building on the corner of East and Brisbane Streets was erected in 1859 for George Thorn Snr and was originally his family's residence from 1859 until 1863, when they moved to 'Claremont' in Milford Street. The building only became a hotel a few years after George Thorn's death in 1876. 

In 1879, the Palais Royal Hotel on the corner of Brisbane & East Streets, was located opposite the Bank of NSW. That year the proprietor James McGill remodeled the hotel. It had a billiard room, stabling for horses, three private suites, and a surrounding verandah. 

Matthew Kelly was the licensee of the hotel from May 1888 until June 1890 when he went into liquidation. W. B. Simmonds would then own the hotel until 1897, when it once again changed hands.

In the first few years of the 20th century Premier Oyster Saloon, and W. D. Butler's hairdressing saloon and tobacconists, were located next door to the hotel. In 1906 the Governor General, Lord Northcote, stayed in the Palais Royal. 

Henry Peter Michael Biltoft (Harry) was the licensee between 1925 and 1939. After he was lost at sea on the Nerita in June 1939, his widow Maude Agnes Biltoft, became the official licensee in January 1941 until her death 4 years later.

In May 1953 the beneficiaries of the estate of James McGill offered the hotel for auction. The McGill family had owned it for over 40 years. At that time the freehold premises included a 2 storey building, a cafe, hat shop, boot repair shop, 16 public bedrooms, private quarters, staff quarters in a brick building to the rear of the property, laundry, stock room, and brick garage. It had 132 foot frontages to both East and Brisbane Streets. J. M. Roach was the licensee at that time. The auction was held in the rooms of local firm Jackson & Meyers where the property was passed in. It was eventually sold to a syndicate in December 1953.

Lowes Dry Cleaners operated from the premises next door to the hotel  c1953.

The hotel was demolished in the 1970s and replaced by the Ipswich Tavern and later Bendigo Bank.