Insect-themed Entertainment Center Planned for Windsor Road

An entertainment center featuring insect exhibits and a live butterfly conservatory is planned at the former Givaudan building on Windsor Road, near the Teaneck border with Bergenfield.

The former fragrance company complex was sold to a “children's education organization called World of Wings,” according to Givaudan corporate spokesman Jeff Peppet. New details of the proposed entertainment center emerged at last week’s Board of Adjustment meeting as World of Wings seeks variances for the property.

The World of Wings complex will include exhibits on small winged insects and small reptiles, according to Harry Tuvel, an engineer working on the project.

“There’s going to be a focus on butterflies,” Tuvel said. “This is something very unique and different.”

The facility will also have a kids play area, gift shop, auditorium and food service, Tuvel said.

A World of Wings representative said she was not authorized to comment ahead of a formal announcement. Although company representatives have not released details, documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office confirm World of Wings provides entertainment with a focus on butterflies.

In a trademark office filing, World of Wings is described as “providing children's party centers for the purpose of entertaining children and celebrating birthdays; entertainment services, namely conducting parties; and entertainment services in the nature of an amusement park attraction, namely a themed area relating to butterflies.”

The former Givaudan site appears to be the only World of Wings location and the trademark showed Windsor Road as the owner’s address.

An online job posting said the facility is seeking a zoologist who studies insects, with a specialization in butterflies and moths. Candidates bilingual in English and Korean are preferred, but not required, according to the posting.

It is not clear when World of Wings would open. A "coming soon" message was posted on the World of Wings website.

At last week’s Board of Adjustment meeting, World of Wings representatives began to detail their need for a parking and height variance on the 5.8-acre site.

Tuvel said the site, currently zoned for light industrial use, was well secluded from nearby homes. World of Wings is seeking to build two towers over the site's approved height limit. One tower would be 80 feet and the other 60 feet, Tuvel said.

World of Wings is also seeking a parking variance to add more spaces to the lot.

The building’s footprint would not change, the engineer said.

One area resident, Helen Harrison, expressed concerns over privacy.

"My kitchen window looks directly into your facility," she said.

The World of Wings application was ultimately carried until an October Board meeting.

Givaudan, a Swiss company, moved out of its Teaneck facility for a larger building as the company grew, and the building has remained vacant since early 2009. Last year, to fund a cultural arts center at the Windsor Road property. That .

The Givaudan building was built in 1972 and designed by architect Der Scutt, who also designed Trump Tower.  According to a 1998 Fast Company article, the building featured a Zen garden and was home to Givaudan's fragrance laboratory.