diff --git a/spec/app/pane-spec.coffee b/spec/app/pane-spec.coffee
index b67b41449..a55650699 100644
--- a/spec/app/pane-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/app/pane-spec.coffee
@@ -257,6 +257,13 @@ describe "Pane", ->
         expect(pane2.getItems()).toEqual [view3, editSession1]
         expect(editSession1.destroyed).toBeFalsy()
 
+    describe "when the item is a jQuery object", ->
+      it "preserves data by detaching instead of removing", ->
+        view1.data('preservative', 1234)
+        pane.moveItemToPane(view1, pane2, 1)
+        pane2.showItemAtIndex(1)
+        expect(pane2.activeView.data('preservative')).toBe 1234
+
   describe "core:close", ->
     it "destroys the active item and does not bubble the event", ->
       containerCloseHandler = jasmine.createSpy("containerCloseHandler")
diff --git a/src/app/pane.coffee b/src/app/pane.coffee
index fe96299c8..166fd7e90 100644
--- a/src/app/pane.coffee
+++ b/src/app/pane.coffee
@@ -214,7 +214,9 @@ class Pane extends View
     @trigger 'pane:item-moved', [item, newIndex]
 
   moveItemToPane: (item, pane, index) ->
+    @isMovingItem = true
     @removeItem(item)
+    @isMovingItem = false
     pane.addItem(item, index)
 
   itemForUri: (uri) ->
@@ -235,8 +237,12 @@ class Pane extends View
         delete @viewsByClassName[viewClass.name]
 
     if @items.length > 0
-      viewToRemove?.remove()
+      if @isMovingItem and item is viewToRemove
+        viewToRemove?.detach()
+      else
+        viewToRemove?.remove()
     else
+      viewToRemove?.detach() if @isMovingItem and item is viewToRemove
       @remove()
 
   viewForItem: (item) ->