diff --git a/spec/view-registry-spec.coffee b/spec/view-registry-spec.coffee
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..86801b088
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/view-registry-spec.coffee
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+ViewRegistry = require '../src/view-registry'
+{View} = require '../src/space-pen-extensions'
+
+describe "ViewRegistry", ->
+  registry = null
+
+  beforeEach ->
+    registry = new ViewRegistry
+
+  describe "::getView(object)", ->
+    describe "when passed a DOM node", ->
+      it "returns the given DOM node", ->
+        node = document.createElement('div')
+        expect(registry.getView(node)).toBe node
+
+    describe "when passed a SpacePen view", ->
+      it "returns the root node of the view with a __spacePenView property pointing at the SpacePen view", ->
+        class TestView extends View
+          @content: -> @div "Hello"
+
+        view = new TestView
+        node = registry.getView(view)
+        expect(node.textContent).toBe "Hello"
+        expect(node.__spacePenView).toBe view
+
+    describe "when passed a model object", ->
+      describe "when no view provider is registered for the object's constructor", ->
+        describe "when the object has a .getViewClass() method", ->
+          it "builds an instance of the view class with the model, then returns its root node with a __spacePenView property pointing at the view", ->
+            class TestView extends View
+              @content: (model) -> @div model.name
+              initialize: (@model) ->
+
+            class TestModel
+              constructor: (@name) ->
+              getViewClass: -> TestView
+
+            model = new TestModel("hello")
+            node = registry.getView(model)
+
+            expect(node.textContent).toBe "hello"
+            view = node.__spacePenView
+            expect(view instanceof TestView).toBe true
+            expect(view.model).toBe model
+
+            # returns the same DOM node for repeated calls
+            expect(registry.getView(model)).toBe node
+
+        describe "when the object has no .getViewClass() method", ->
+          it "throws an exception", ->
+            expect(-> registry.getView(new Object)).toThrow()
diff --git a/spec/workspace-spec.coffee b/spec/workspace-spec.coffee
index 45452dca3..8e2d426f4 100644
--- a/spec/workspace-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/workspace-spec.coffee
@@ -8,49 +8,6 @@ describe "Workspace", ->
     atom.project.setPath(atom.project.resolve('dir'))
     atom.workspace = workspace = new Workspace
 
-  describe "::getView(object)", ->
-    describe "when passed a DOM node", ->
-      it "returns the given DOM node", ->
-        node = document.createElement('div')
-        expect(workspace.getView(node)).toBe node
-
-    describe "when passed a SpacePen view", ->
-      it "returns the root node of the view with a __spacePenView property pointing at the SpacePen view", ->
-        class TestView extends View
-          @content: -> @div "Hello"
-
-        view = new TestView
-        node = workspace.getView(view)
-        expect(node.textContent).toBe "Hello"
-        expect(node.__spacePenView).toBe view
-
-    describe "when passed a model object", ->
-      describe "when no view provider is registered for the object's constructor", ->
-        describe "when the object has a .getViewClass() method", ->
-          it "builds an instance of the view class with the model, then returns its root node with a __spacePenView property pointing at the view", ->
-            class TestView extends View
-              @content: (model) -> @div model.name
-              initialize: (@model) ->
-
-            class TestModel
-              constructor: (@name) ->
-              getViewClass: -> TestView
-
-            model = new TestModel("hello")
-            node = workspace.getView(model)
-
-            expect(node.textContent).toBe "hello"
-            view = node.__spacePenView
-            expect(view instanceof TestView).toBe true
-            expect(view.model).toBe model
-
-            # returns the same DOM node for repeated calls
-            expect(workspace.getView(model)).toBe node
-
-        describe "when the object has no .getViewClass() method", ->
-          it "throws an exception", ->
-            expect(-> workspace.getView(new Object)).toThrow()
-
   describe "::open(uri, options)", ->
     openEvents = null