diff --git a/spec/app/project-spec.coffee b/spec/app/project-spec.coffee
index 5627c81ab..144b697e8 100644
--- a/spec/app/project-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/app/project-spec.coffee
@@ -69,5 +69,5 @@ describe "Project", ->
     describe "when path is null", ->
       it "sets its path and root directory to null", ->
         project.setPath(null)
-        expect(project.getPath()).toBeNull()
-        expect(project.getRootDirectory()).toBeNull()
+        expect(project.getPath()?).toBeFalsy()
+        expect(project.getRootDirectory()?).toBeFalsy()
diff --git a/spec/app/root-view-spec.coffee b/spec/app/root-view-spec.coffee
index 759b76efd..f3e082d98 100644
--- a/spec/app/root-view-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/app/root-view-spec.coffee
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ describe "RootView", ->
     describe "when called with a pathToOpen", ->
       describe "when pathToOpen references a file", ->
         it "creates a project for the file's parent directory, then sets the document.title and opens the file in an editor", ->
-          expect(rootView.project.path).toBe fs.directory(path)
+          expect(rootView.project.getPath()).toBe fs.directory(path)
           expect(rootView.editors().length).toBe 1
           expect(rootView.editors()[0]).toHaveClass 'active'
           expect(rootView.activeEditor().buffer.getPath()).toBe path
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ describe "RootView", ->
           rootView = new RootView(pathToOpen: path)
           rootView.focus()
 
-          expect(rootView.project.path).toBe path
+          expect(rootView.project.getPath()).toBe path
           expect(rootView.editors().length).toBe 0
           expect(document.title).toBe path
 
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ describe "RootView", ->
 
         it "constructs the view with the same panes", ->
           rootView = RootView.deserialize(viewState)
-          expect(rootView.project.path).toBeNull()
+          expect(rootView.project.getPath()?).toBeFalsy()
           expect(rootView.editors().length).toBe 2
           expect(rootView.activeEditor().buffer.getText()).toBe buffer.getText()
           expect(document.title).toBe 'untitled'
@@ -377,9 +377,9 @@ describe "RootView", ->
     it "creates a project if there isn't one yet and the buffer was previously unsaved", ->
       rootView = new RootView
       rootView.open()
-      expect(rootView.project.path).toBeNull()
+      expect(rootView.project.getPath()?).toBeFalsy()
       rootView.activeEditor().buffer.saveAs('/tmp/ignore-me')
-      expect(rootView.project.path).toBe '/tmp'
+      expect(rootView.project.getPath()).toBe '/tmp'
 
   describe "when editors are focused", ->
     it "triggers 'active-editor-path-change' events if the path of the active editor actually changes", ->
@@ -407,5 +407,5 @@ describe "RootView", ->
   describe "when the last editor is removed", ->
     it   "updates the title to the project path", ->
       rootView.editors()[0].remove()
-      expect(document.title).toBe rootView.project.path
+      expect(document.title).toBe rootView.project.getPath()
 
diff --git a/spec/extensions/file-finder-spec.coffee b/spec/extensions/file-finder-spec.coffee
index de2a44ba4..aed9fd7db 100644
--- a/spec/extensions/file-finder-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/extensions/file-finder-spec.coffee
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ describe 'FileFinder', ->
 
     describe "when root view's project has no path", ->
       beforeEach ->
-        rootView.project.path = undefined
+        rootView.project.setPath(null)
 
       it "does not open the FileFinder", ->
         expect(rootView.find('.file-finder')).not.toExist()
diff --git a/spec/extensions/tree-view-spec.coffee b/spec/extensions/tree-view-spec.coffee
index fc9595ab8..9dc33a35f 100644
--- a/spec/extensions/tree-view-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/extensions/tree-view-spec.coffee
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ describe "TreeView", ->
       expect(rootEntries.find('> .file:contains(sample.js)')).toExist()
       expect(rootEntries.find('> .file:contains(sample.txt)')).toExist()
 
-    describe "when the project has not path", ->
+    describe "when the project has no path", ->
       beforeEach ->
         treeView.deactivate()
 
diff --git a/src/app/project.coffee b/src/app/project.coffee
index e4aa71866..0ada35dd4 100644
--- a/src/app/project.coffee
+++ b/src/app/project.coffee
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ Directory = require 'directory'
 
 module.exports =
 class Project
-  path: null
   rootDirectory: null
   buffers: null
 
@@ -15,16 +14,15 @@ class Project
     @buffers = []
 
   getPath: ->
-    @path
+    @rootDirectory?.path
 
   setPath: (path) ->
-    @rootDirectory.off() if @rootDirectory
+    @rootDirectory?.off()
 
     if path?
-      @path = if fs.isDirectory(path) then path else fs.directory(path)
-      @rootDirectory = new Directory(@path)
+      directory = if fs.isDirectory(path) then path else fs.directory(path)
+      @rootDirectory = new Directory(directory)
     else
-      @path = null
       @rootDirectory = null
 
     @trigger "path-change"
@@ -33,8 +31,7 @@ class Project
     @rootDirectory
 
   getFilePaths: ->
-    projectPath = @path
-    fs.async.listTree(@path).pipe (paths) =>
+    fs.async.listTree(@getPath()).pipe (paths) =>
       @relativize(path) for path in paths when fs.isFile(path)
 
   open: (filePath) ->
@@ -51,11 +48,11 @@ class Project
     buffer
 
   resolve: (filePath) ->
-    filePath = fs.join(@path, filePath) unless filePath[0] == '/'
+    filePath = fs.join(@getPath(), filePath) unless filePath[0] == '/'
     fs.absolute filePath
 
   relativize: (fullPath) ->
-    fullPath.replace(@path, "").replace(/^\//, '')
+    fullPath.replace(@getPath(), "").replace(/^\//, '')
 
   bufferWithId: (id) ->
     return buffer for buffer in @buffers when buffer.id == id
diff --git a/src/app/root-view.coffee b/src/app/root-view.coffee
index a2a596cb5..f151cda22 100644
--- a/src/app/root-view.coffee
+++ b/src/app/root-view.coffee
@@ -39,11 +39,10 @@ class RootView extends View
 
     @setTitle()
     @project = new Project(pathToOpen)
-    if pathToOpen? and fs.isFile(pathToOpen)
-      @open(pathToOpen)
+    @open(pathToOpen) if fs.isFile(pathToOpen)
 
   serialize: ->
-    projectPath: @project?.path
+    projectPath: @project?.getPath()
     panesViewState: @panes.children().view()?.serialize()
     extensionStates: @serializeExtensions()
 
@@ -57,7 +56,7 @@ class RootView extends View
         @setTitle(@project?.getPath())
 
     @on 'active-editor-path-change', (e, path) =>
-      @project.setPath(path) unless @project.getPath()
+      @project.setPath(path) unless @project.getRootDirectory()
       @setTitle(path)
 
   afterAttach: (onDom) ->
diff --git a/src/extensions/file-finder.coffee b/src/extensions/file-finder.coffee
index 664879256..00e7c758c 100644
--- a/src/extensions/file-finder.coffee
+++ b/src/extensions/file-finder.coffee
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ class FileFinder extends View
     if @hasParent()
       @detach()
     else
-      @attach() if @rootView.project.path?
+      @attach() if @rootView.project.getPath()?
 
   attach: ->
     @rootView.project.getFilePaths().done (@paths) => @populatePathList()