diff --git a/src/workspace-view.coffee b/src/workspace-view.coffee
index c89266d88..048e3ba28 100644
--- a/src/workspace-view.coffee
+++ b/src/workspace-view.coffee
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ class WorkspaceView extends View
   Delegator.includeInto(this)
 
   @delegatesProperty 'fullScreen', 'destroyedItemUris', toProperty: 'model'
-  @delegatesMethods 'itemOpened', toProperty: 'model'
+  @delegatesMethods 'open', 'itemOpened', toProperty: 'model'
 
   @version: 4
 
@@ -75,6 +75,8 @@ class WorkspaceView extends View
     @panes.replaceWith(panes)
     @panes = panes
 
+    @subscribe @model, 'uri-opened', => @trigger 'uri-opened'
+
     @updateTitle()
 
     @on 'focus', (e) => @handleFocus(e)
@@ -151,36 +153,6 @@ class WorkspaceView extends View
   confirmClose: ->
     @panes.confirmClose()
 
-  # Public: Asynchronously opens a given a filepath in Atom.
-  #
-  # * filePath: A file path
-  # * options
-  #   + initialLine: The buffer line number to open to.
-  #
-  # Returns a promise that resolves to the {Editor} for the file URI.
-  open: (filePath, options={}) ->
-    changeFocus = options.changeFocus ? true
-    filePath = atom.project.resolve(filePath)
-    initialLine = options.initialLine
-    activePane = @getActivePane()
-
-    editor = activePane.itemForUri(atom.project.relativize(filePath)) if activePane and filePath
-    promise = atom.project.open(filePath, {initialLine}) if not editor
-
-    Q(editor ? promise)
-      .then (editor) =>
-        if not activePane
-          activePane = new PaneView(editor)
-          @panes.setRoot(activePane)
-
-        @itemOpened(editor)
-        activePane.activateItem(editor)
-        activePane.activate() if changeFocus
-        @trigger "uri-opened"
-        editor
-      .catch (error) ->
-        console.error(error.stack ? error)
-
   # Private: Only used in specs
   openSync: (uri, {changeFocus, initialLine, pane, split}={}) ->
     changeFocus ?= true
diff --git a/src/workspace.coffee b/src/workspace.coffee
index 657f35d0e..2709008f7 100644
--- a/src/workspace.coffee
+++ b/src/workspace.coffee
@@ -1,13 +1,18 @@
 {remove} = require 'underscore-plus'
 {Model} = require 'theorist'
+Q = require 'q'
 Serializable = require 'serializable'
+Delegator = require 'delegato'
 PaneContainer = require './pane-container'
+Pane = require './pane'
 
 module.exports =
 class Workspace extends Model
   atom.deserializers.add(this)
   Serializable.includeInto(this)
 
+  @delegatesProperty 'activePane', toProperty: 'paneContainer'
+
   @properties
     paneContainer: -> new PaneContainer
     fullScreen: false
@@ -25,6 +30,36 @@ class Workspace extends Model
     paneContainer: @paneContainer.serialize()
     fullScreen: atom.isFullScreen()
 
+  # Public: Asynchronously opens a given a filepath in Atom.
+  #
+  # * filePath: A file path
+  # * options
+  #   + initialLine: The buffer line number to open to.
+  #
+  # Returns a promise that resolves to the {Editor} for the file URI.
+  open: (filePath, options={}) ->
+    changeFocus = options.changeFocus ? true
+    filePath = atom.project.resolve(filePath)
+    initialLine = options.initialLine
+    activePane = @activePane
+
+    editor = activePane.itemForUri(atom.project.relativize(filePath)) if activePane and filePath
+    promise = atom.project.open(filePath, {initialLine}) if not editor
+
+    Q(editor ? promise)
+      .then (editor) =>
+        if not activePane
+          activePane = new Pane(items: [editor])
+          @paneContainer.root = activePane
+
+        @itemOpened(editor)
+        activePane.activateItem(editor)
+        activePane.activate() if changeFocus
+        @emit "uri-opened"
+        editor
+      .catch (error) ->
+        console.error(error.stack ? error)
+
   # Private: Removes the item's uri from the list of potential items to reopen.
   itemOpened: (item) ->
     if uri = item.getUri?()