A native of New Orleans, R. Stephanie Bruno is an architectural historian and preservation consultant. Bruno has served as the director of the New Orleans Preservation Resource Centers Operation Comeback and writes a column about New Orleans neighborhoods, houses, residents, and streets for InsideOut, published by the New Orleans Times-Picayune. A member of the New Orleans Geological Society and New Orleans Metropolitan Realtors, her honors include two City of New Orleans Golden Hammer Awards for historic preservation, the Louisiana Landmarks Society Media Award, and nomination as one of New Orleans Magazines Women of the Year in 2002. She lives with her two sons in New Orleans, Louisiana, in an Italianate cottage that has been in her family for more than seventy years."