diff --git a/spec/view-registry-spec.coffee b/spec/view-registry-spec.coffee
index 254649311..851faf109 100644
--- a/spec/view-registry-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/view-registry-spec.coffee
@@ -14,14 +14,14 @@ describe "ViewRegistry", ->
         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", ->
+      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
+        expect(node.spacePenView).toBe view
 
     describe "when passed a model object", ->
       describe "when a view provider is registered matching the object's constructor", ->
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ describe "ViewRegistry", ->
             node = registry.getView(model)
 
             expect(node.textContent).toBe "hello"
-            view = node.__spacePenView
+            view = node.spacePenView
             expect(view instanceof TestView).toBe true
             expect(view.model).toBe model
 
diff --git a/src/pane-view.coffee b/src/pane-view.coffee
index 16492d7e1..03ca52558 100644
--- a/src/pane-view.coffee
+++ b/src/pane-view.coffee
@@ -153,7 +153,9 @@ class PaneView extends View
   activeItemModifiedChanged: =>
     @trigger 'pane:active-item-modified-status-changed'
 
-  @::accessor 'activeView', -> atom.views.getView(@activeItem)?.__spacePenView
+  @::accessor 'activeView', ->
+    element = atom.views.getView(@activeItem)
+    $(element).view() ? element
 
   splitLeft: (items...) -> atom.views.getView(@model.splitLeft({items})).__spacePenView
 
diff --git a/src/view-registry.coffee b/src/view-registry.coffee
index 664d03d18..c66d1be57 100644
--- a/src/view-registry.coffee
+++ b/src/view-registry.coffee
@@ -132,7 +132,6 @@ class ViewRegistry
     if object instanceof HTMLElement
       object
     else if object?.jquery
-      object[0]?.__spacePenView ?= object
       object[0]
     else if provider = @findProvider(object)
       element = provider.createView?(object)
@@ -142,7 +141,6 @@ class ViewRegistry
       element
     else if viewConstructor = object?.getViewClass?()
       view = new viewConstructor(object)
-      view[0].__spacePenView ?= view
       view[0]
     else
       throw new Error("Can't create a view for #{object.constructor.name} instance. Please register a view provider.")