Ruffini is sometimes identified as Italian, but his ancestors had emigrated to Kamenz, about five hundred years before he was born.
[2] Ruffini apprenticed under an architect in Cleveland and worked in Indianapolis, New York City, Boston and Chicago before moving to Austin, Texas in 1877.
He worked some with his brother, architect Oscar Ruffini of San Angelo, Texas.
Ruffini designed courthouses and jails, commercial and public buildings, and residences which were built throughout Texas.
Ruffini's extant designs in Texas include the Old Blanco County Courthouse in Blanco, the Collin County Jail in McKinney, and the Millett Opera House in Austin.