The Sir Joseph Banks Hotel is located in Anniversary Street, in the eastern suburb of Botany, beside the Sir Joseph Banks Pleasure Grounds. The original two storey building, known as the Banks Inn, was begun in 1840 by Thomas Kellet and J Drew, in the Georgian architectural style. By the 1850s it had developed gardens, a private zoo and provision for outdoor sports. It became a popular weekend and holiday pleasure ground. About 1860, a further single storey wing was added to the east and around 1870, the north wing was added in the Victorian Italianate style, heavily ornamented with slab, parapets and two storey cast iron verandas. In 1920, the license was transferred to a new hotel with the same name, built on Botany Road. In 1926 the complex was sold and the hotel was converted into apartments.
David Scott Mitchell (1836 – 1907) was a book collector. He offered his collection of Australiana to the people of New South Wales on the condition that a new building be erected to house the collection as a separate library.
Work on the Mitchell Wing started in 1906 and was completed in 1910. It houses the Mitchell Library reading rooms, work areas and galleries. It is part of the State Library of NSW.