Ledner was born in Bronx, New York, and moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, as a young child. His mother was noted pastry chef Beulah Levy Ledner. His grandparents on his mother's side were from Hungary. Following his graduation from the New Orleans Public School System, Ledner enrolled in the Tulane University School of Architecture. He left college in his second year to volunteer for the United States Army Air Corps in World War II, where he served as a navigator with the rank of second lieutenant. While stationed at Davis-Monthan Field near Tucson, Arizona, Ledner used his leave time during his military career to visit Taliesin West, which was one of the schools run by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Following his military career, Ledner earned his architectural degree at Tulane University graduating in 1948. He then supplemented his architectural education with studies at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin Spring Green School.
