Staton's Steakhouse and Cocktail Lounge

Staton's Steakhouse and Cocktail Lounge. 228 Harbor Drive. Norman E. Staton Sr. and Ethel L. (Milonich) Staton, lifelong Alaskans moved from Ketchikan to Sitka in 1955 opening their first restaurant, the Pioneer Grill on Katlian Street and their second, the Sitka Café on Lincoln Street before opening Staton's Steakhouse and Cocktail Lounge on this location in December, 1968., This structure was built to replace the Art Franklin Triune Service building after the January 2, 1966 fire which destroyed a large portion of downtown Sitka., Norm and Ethel were a team. They tirelessly brought fine dining to Sitka and were known as a premier restaurant in Southeast Alaska, catering to Sitka and their families, Alaska Lumber and Pulp employees and dignitaries, with banquets, parties, family dinners and many celebrations. Famous for Norm's Fish and Chips, their full service waterfront restaurant was the heart of many of the city's social gatherings for almost 25 years in this location., Retiring in 1992 the business was sold, however the family retained the building and property. Sitka Realty opened in 2005 by daughter, Candi. The property will remain in the Staton Family Trust managed by Candi C. Barger and Norman E. Staton, Jr. and their families., [Sidebar] , Ethel, a Tsimshian Alaska native, leaves a legacy of native leadership and community involvement, serving on the Shee Atika Incorporated Board of Directors for 36 years and retiring as Chairman of the Board Emeritus, Board of Governors for the Alaska Bar Association, Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct, Sheldon Jackson College Board of Trustees, past president of the VFW Auxiliary in Ketchikan, past president of the Sitka Emblem Club 142; past president of Beta Sigma Phi, Xi Zeta Chapter; president of the Tsimshian Tribal Association of Sitka, Girl Scout Council and the state planning board., Norm came to Alaska, with the Army in 1940 at the age of 17 on the Fort Leonard Wood, the largest troop ship to come to Alaska, was stationed on Annette Island, then Umnak Island and Amchitka, building air strips and was in the first wave of troops to Saipan and invasion of Okinawa. Injured, he returned to Ketchikan and his family with a Purple Heart. Norm was a charter member Sitka's infamous "Dirty Dozen" and a lifetime member of the Elks and Moose Lodges. He also served the community on the Sitka Planning Commission, Sitka Visitors Association, Historical Committee and the planning of Harrigan's Centennial Hall. His colorful character was a fixture for locals and delighted many tourists in their Alaska adventure experience., Norman and Ethel Staton and family are active members of St. Peter's By-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Sitka.