WALLACE E. (WALLY) CUNNINGHAM (1954-)

Cunningham was born in White Township PA. He studied at Hutchinson Central Technical HS Buffalo NY and then the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, where he was influenced by Marya Lilien, one of the first female apprentices of Frank Lloyd Wright. He also had patrons in Frances Snow Moran and her sister Mary Snow. In 1977, Lilien asked Cunningham to accompany her to Wright's Taliesin in Wisconsin and then study at Taliesin West. In 1979, he founded his own firm in San Diego and became a board member of the Taliesin Fellows in 1995. While not a registered architect, he's designed some of the most exotic Modernist houses in America.

1982 - The David Adams House, aka Wing House, 4627 Via Lechusa, Rancho Santa Fe CA. 4.5 acres. This was Cunningham's first work while still a student at Taliesin. Commissioned in 1978. Published in Architectural Digest, December 2002. Sold in 1989 to Todd Grehl. Sold in 1998 to the Bills Family Trust.

1986 - The Peter and Ellen Gray House, aka Aperture, 2598 Montgomery Avenue, Cardiff CA. Built by Ed Olsen. Sold in 1989 to Quang Luu. Sold in 1997 to Steve and Marie Tartar Eilenberg, still owners as of 2020.

Around 1990 - The Chris McKellar House, La Jolla CA. Built. Status unknown.

1987 - The Horton and Diana Sherwood Cabin, aka Arc in the Pines, 4248 Pine Hills Road, Julian CA. 2011sf. Sold in 2014 to Mark Robinson.

1988 - The Andrew Mattison House, aka Lake House, aka Ganymede House, 9874 Orange Lane, Del-Dios-Escondido CA. Sold in 1998 to the Mather Living Trust. Sold in 2012 to Christopher Chandler.

1988 - The Jeff Devine House, aka Sea View, 1706 Avenida Salvador, San Clemente CA. Commissioned in 1985. Sold in 1993 to Kenneth Pearson. Sold in 2014 to Pamela and Rick Plumer. Sold in 2017 to Jennifer and Jon Post.

1995 - The Bennett and Judy Greenwald House, aka City House, 7920 Prospect Place, La Jolla CA. Commissioned in 1991. Project architect Jim Johnson. Featured in GA Houses 31.

1995 - The Paul and Barbara Saltman House, aka Brushstroke, 9704 Blackgold Road, La Jolla CA. Featured in GA Houses 48. Sold in 2017 to investment firm Brush Stroke LLC, Paydar Properties.

1997 - The Pauline and Stanley Foster House, aka Promontory, 16528 Los Barbos, Rancho Santa Fe CA. Sold in 2019 to Craig Shuler.

1997 - aka Earth Fire Water. Status unknown.

1997 - aka Arbors. Status unknown.

1999 - The Howard Lapin House, aka The Ray House, 724 Muirlands Vista Way, La Jolla CA. Sold in 2015 to Naser Mahdavi.

1999 - The Yahudi and Pamela Gaffen House, aka Los Mirlitos, 5410 Los Mirlitos, Rancho Santa Fe CA. Sold in 2015 to the Dorothy Schoelen Trust. Sold in 2021 to the Miles Trust.

Around 2000 - The Sayed Ali House, aka the Palace, 2001 Via Casa Alta, La Jolla CA. Sold to Jack and Judith White, still owners as of 2020.

2002 - The Armin and Ann Kessler House, aka Harmony House, 18128 Via Roswitha, Rancho Santa Fe CA. 10000sf. Featured in Architectural Digest. Deeded in 2005 to a Kessler trust.  

2004 - The Bud and Esther Fisher House, aka Crescent House, 532 Neptune Ave, Encinitas CA. 6300sf. Featured in: Architectural Digest, April 2005; and HBO's Westworld. Sold in 2016 to Eileen Quinn and Lance Williams. For sale in 2022-2023.

Around 2004 - aka Voler House, aka Brandy's House, Del Mar CA. 54 acres. Unbuilt.

2004 - The Don Cooksey House, aka Razor House, aka Razor Bluff, 9826 La Jolla Farms Road, La Jolla CA. Commissioned in 1998. Featured in commercials for Visa Black Card and Calvin Klein. Sold in 2011 to Donald Burns. Sold in 2019 to Alicia Keys and Swizz Beats.

2005 - aka Sweetwater Mesa, aka Leaves in the Wind, overlooking Malibu CA. U2 guitarist David (Edge) Evans purchased 151 acres of undeveloped land and worked with Cunningham to design houses. Unbuilt.

2013 - aka Cascade, 3853 East Rockport Ridge, Coalville / Park City UT. 8000 sf. 5.6 acres. Commissioned around 2007. Sold in 2019 to John R. Miller. For sale in 2022-2023.

Year unknown - aka Writer's Retreat, aka Velocity, Arizona. Status unknown.

Year unknown - The Ark, Iowa. Status unknown.

Around 2015 - aka La Terrazas, aka The Terraces, aka Residence for Mexico, San Pedro Garza García, Monterrey, Mexico. Commissioned around 2010. Photos by Jorge Taboada. Project architects, Architta. Built by Onyx Coordination and Direction. Won a 2014 Cemex Award for use of concrete. Status unknown.

2017 - The Joan Murray House, aka Serenity, 243 Highway 1, Carmel CA. 2667 sf. Murray died before the house was completed.  Sold by her estate in 2022 to Andrew Halpert and Sandy Feng.

2019 - The Stuart and Eliza Stedman House, aka Residence in La Jolla, 9030 La Jolla Shores Lane, La Jolla CA. 12000sf. Commissioned 1997. Structural, Sowards and Brown; built by Weir Brothers; mechanical, Burt Adams Engineering; interiors, Carol Leventhal. Featured in GA Houses 52. Built by Sweig. Color photos by John Durant.

Sources include: Architectural Digest; Wallace Cunningham Inc.