diff --git a/lib/plugins/static.js b/lib/plugins/static.js
index 27ce8d78..f9dcbae7 100644
--- a/lib/plugins/static.js
+++ b/lib/plugins/static.js
@@ -202,13 +202,9 @@ function serveStatic(options) {
         } else if (opts.appendRequestPath) {
             file = path.join(docRoot, decodeURIComponent(req.path()));
         } else {
-            var dirBasename = path.basename(docRoot);
             var reqpathBasename = decodeURIComponent(path.basename(req.path()));
 
-            if (
-                path.extname(reqpathBasename) === '' &&
-                dirBasename === reqpathBasename
-            ) {
+            if (!path.extname(reqpathBasename)) {
                 file = docRoot;
             } else {
                 file = path.join(docRoot, reqpathBasename);
diff --git a/test/plugins/static.test.js b/test/plugins/static.test.js
index 5907850f..4b6501e9 100644
--- a/test/plugins/static.test.js
+++ b/test/plugins/static.test.js
@@ -476,6 +476,31 @@ describe('static resource plugin', function() {
         );
     });
 
+    // directory differs from path without appendPath
+    it('GH-1604 handling should not depend on directory name', function(done) {
+        var tmpDir = '.tmp';
+
+        function cb() {
+            CLIENT.get('/public/', function(err, req, res, obj) {
+                assert.ifError(err);
+                assert.equal(res.statusCode, 200);
+                done();
+            });
+        }
+
+        serveStaticTest(
+            cb,
+            true,
+            tmpDir,
+            tmpDir + '/test',
+            '/test',
+            null,
+            null,
+            false,
+            null
+        );
+    });
+
     // To ensure this will always get properly restored (even in case of a test
     // failure) we do it here.
     var originalCreateReadStream = fs.createReadStream;