Beth Mason Civic League Still Busy In Hoboken, Board Member Says

HOBOKEN, NJ — The former headquarters for the Beth Mason Civic League in Hoboken is being transformed into a real estate agency, where it was once a meeting space and art gallery. After Patch recently reported the change, a spokesperson said the League is still active in and around Hoboken, even without the space.

James Barracato, a board member for the League, told Patch that the group actually left the corner space at 1200 Washington St. about a year and a half ago, deciding not to renew their lease.

A Google listing for the League says it's "permanently closed," but apparently, that only refers to the space. After sitting vacant for a while, the space will become a NestSeekers real estate agency.

Barracto said the League did not own the space, and had considered other spaces in Hoboken.

But they're involved in community service projects around the East Coast, he said.

Past And Future

Beth Mason had been a founder of Hoboken's People for Open Government (POG) and was elected to the Hoboken City Council in 2007. But she ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2009.

She started a Civil League to invest in community projects around town, and allowed artists to display and sell their work in the headquarters on Washington Street.

Even after leaving politics, Mason kept her Civic League open and served on the Hoboken Housing Authority board.

Last week, Barracato said he doesn't see Mason running for local office again any time soon. But she's involved in other pursuits.

Around 2014, she bought a hotel and restaurant, the Henry Clay Inn in Ashland, Va., Barracato said. Mason grew up in the Richmond area and has family there, he said, so she stayed there sometimes when she visited.

She has been involved in an art show and other events in that area, he said.

Mason also has stayed involved in Hudson County and in Upstate New York, where she also owns property, Barracato said.

He said that Mason recently helped two local families who needed help after their home was damaged by flooding. She has sponsored sports teams and run art shows in other parts of the East Coast.

"She's stayed out of [local] politics, for the most part," Barracato said, noting that she volunteered with the Harris presidential campaign. "It's been 10 years that she's been off the council."

Mason still lives in Hoboken. She joined the board of the Coast Guard Foundation in 2021.

Read more about the Mason Civic League here.

PAST REPORTING: Art Gallery On Historic Hoboken Corner To Be Replaced By Real Estate Firm