Located on the ancestral land of the Coast Salish people, Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum was founded as a nonprofit Washington corporation in 2014. Folio's first home was on the ground floor of the south wing of the YMCA, a historical, landmarked 1930s building at Fourth and Marion, in the heart of downtown Seattle. In July 2018 Folio reopened in the Economy Building at Pike Place Market at 1st Ave and Pike St. in the heart of the market community.