Warren W. Cunningham was born in Philadelphia, and studied at Franklin & Marshall College in 1941-1942 before completing a B. Arch. in 1949 at the University of Pennsylvania. He began his career in the office of Davis, Poole & Sloan (1948-50), followed by a stint with Gilboy & O'Malley (succeeded by Gilboy, Bellante & Clauss and then Bellante & Clauss; 1950-1957), where he worked with his future partner Melvin Brecher and with Ehrman B. Mitchell and Romaldo Giurgola. In 1958, Cunningham joined with Mitchell and Giugola to form an association to pursue projects with the National Park Service. This association did not last long, however: Cunningham shortly joined Geddes, Brecher & Qualls and was made a partner in 1960 in the firm. Cunningham's role in Geddes, Brecher, Qualls & Cunningham has been as the principal project director, managing the majority of the office's work.

Cunningham joined the national AIA in 1954 and was made a fellow in 1974. He was a member of the Philadelphia Chapter's exhibit and yearbook committee from 1956 to 1958, and its chairman in 1958. He is also a member of and has served as the president and as a director of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute.

Written by Emily T. Cooperman.