Mike Cincola–owner of Looff’s Lite-a-Line, the marriage of bingo and pinball–sold his game’s original location near Ocean Boulevard and Chestnut Place in 2000, to Camden Property Trust, which promptly turned it into condominiums.

Part of the deal, though, was that they’d save Looff’s distinctive multi-sided, wood-beamed roof structure, which has a cupola on top and (it almost goes without saying) a huge attic. That much was accomplished, and the Looff’s roof today lives on atop wooden pallets just southwest of Ocean Boulevard and Pine Avenue.

But then what happened? Nothing. The talk at the time was that Camden would build a new building under that roof and turn it into a visitor’s center–but obviously, that never came to pass.

So what exactly is going on with Looff’s roof? We’d sure like to know, which is why we called Suzanne Frick, the city’s Director of Planning and Building, on Thursday to find out.

Don’t know if you’ve ever driven down into the parking lot where the roof presently resides, and stuck your head in under it to gawk at the remains–but you should. It’s beautiful. There’s enough old-growth wood in that roof to build three Victorian houses out by Poly High.

But what are the city’s plans? We’ll let you know what Frick says when she calls us back.

The city–and Camden–made a promise to save the Looff’s roof, and we’d hate to see them renege on that pledge, especially since they’ve had half a decade to deliver on it.

Tags: California, Camden Property Trust, City of Long Beach, Long Beach, Looff's Lite-a-Line, mike cincola, Southern California, Suzanne Frick, The District Weekly, Theo Douglas