diff --git a/compiler/Compiler.js b/compiler/Compiler.js
index 5971bbf5e..4c346242f 100644
--- a/compiler/Compiler.js
+++ b/compiler/Compiler.js
@@ -70,13 +70,19 @@ class Compiler {
         ok(this.parser, '"options.parser" is required');
     }
 
-    compile(src, filename) {
+    compile(src, filename, options) {
         ok(typeof src === 'string', '"src" argument should be a string');
         ok(filename, '"filename" argument is required');
         ok(typeof filename === 'string', '"filename" argument should be a string');
 
         var context = new CompileContext(src, filename, this.builder);
 
+        if (options) {
+            if (options.preserveWhitespace) {
+                context.setPreserveWhitespace(true);
+            }
+        }
+
         // STAGE 1: Parse the template to produce the initial AST
         var ast = this.parser.parse(src, context);
         context.root = ast;
diff --git a/compiler/index.js b/compiler/index.js
index e142909f2..8fc5fb783 100644
--- a/compiler/index.js
+++ b/compiler/index.js
@@ -76,14 +76,14 @@ function compileFile(filename, options, callback) {
             }
 
             try {
-                callback(null, compiler.compile(templateSrc, filename));
+                callback(null, compiler.compile(templateSrc, filename, options));
             } catch(e) {
                 callback(e);
             }
         });
     } else {
         let templateSrc = fs.readFileSync(filename, {encoding: 'utf8'});
-        return compiler.compile(templateSrc, filename);
+        return compiler.compile(templateSrc, filename, options);
     }
 }
 
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ function compile(src, filename, options, callback) {
 
     if (callback) {
         try {
-            callback(null, compiler.compile(src, filename));
+            callback(null, compiler.compile(src, filename, options));
         } catch(e) {
             callback(e);
         }
diff --git a/runtime/loader.js b/runtime/loader.js
index a97098d91..72b658c53 100644
--- a/runtime/loader.js
+++ b/runtime/loader.js
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ function loadSource(templatePath, compiledSrc) {
     return templateModule.exports;
 }
 
-function loadFile(templatePath) {
+function loadFile(templatePath, options) {
     templatePath = nodePath.resolve(cwd, templatePath);
     var targetDir = nodePath.dirname(templatePath);
 
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ function loadFile(templatePath) {
         return require(targetFile);
     }
 
-	var compiledSrc = markoCompiler.compileFile(templatePath);
+	var compiledSrc = markoCompiler.compileFile(templatePath, options);
     // console.log('Compiled code for "' + templatePath + '":\n' + compiledSrc);
 
     var filename = nodePath.basename(targetFile);
@@ -91,10 +91,10 @@ module.exports = function load(templatePath, templateSrc, options) {
             templateSrc = fs.readFileSync(templatePath, fsReadOptions);
         }
 
-    	var compiledSrc = markoCompiler.compile(templateSrc, templatePath);
+    	var compiledSrc = markoCompiler.compile(templateSrc, templatePath, options);
         return loadSource(templatePath, compiledSrc);
     } else {
-        return loadFile(templatePath);
+        return loadFile(templatePath, options);
     }
 };
 
diff --git a/taglibs/core/marko-taglib.json b/taglibs/core/marko-taglib.json
index c2cc69f36..c6c6faaa8 100644
--- a/taglibs/core/marko-taglib.json
+++ b/taglibs/core/marko-taglib.json
@@ -39,6 +39,9 @@
             "ignore": true
         }
     },
+    "<style>": {
+        "preserve-whitespace": true
+    },
     "<textarea>": {
         "preserve-whitespace": true
     },
diff --git a/test/fixtures/render/autotest/preserveWhitespace-load-option/expected.html b/test/fixtures/render/autotest/preserveWhitespace-load-option/expected.html
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e0aefc928
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/render/autotest/preserveWhitespace-load-option/expected.html
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+<div>
+    This whitespace
+    should be
+    preserved.
+
+    preserveWhitespace is set to true
+    See: test.js
+</div>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/fixtures/render/autotest/preserveWhitespace-load-option/template.marko b/test/fixtures/render/autotest/preserveWhitespace-load-option/template.marko
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e0aefc928
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/render/autotest/preserveWhitespace-load-option/template.marko
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+<div>
+    This whitespace
+    should be
+    preserved.
+
+    preserveWhitespace is set to true
+    See: test.js
+</div>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/fixtures/render/autotest/preserveWhitespace-load-option/test.js b/test/fixtures/render/autotest/preserveWhitespace-load-option/test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..44b8f285a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/render/autotest/preserveWhitespace-load-option/test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+exports.templateData = {};
+exports.loadOptions = {
+    preserveWhitespace: true
+};
diff --git a/test/render-test.js b/test/render-test.js
index 25a9ee06f..15018f1df 100644
--- a/test/render-test.js
+++ b/test/render-test.js
@@ -18,12 +18,13 @@ describe('render', function() {
             var mainPath = path.join(dir, 'test.js');
 
             var main = fs.existsSync(mainPath) ? require(mainPath) : {};
-
+            var loadOptions = main && main.loadOptions;
+            
             if (main.checkError) {
                 var e;
 
                 try {
-                    marko.load(templatePath);
+                    marko.load(templatePath, loadOptions);
                 } catch(_e) {
                     e = _e;
                 }
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@ describe('render', function() {
                 main.checkError(e);
                 return '$PASS$';
             } else {
-                var template = marko.load(templatePath);
+                var template = marko.load(templatePath, loadOptions);
                 var templateData = main.templateData || {};
                 var html = template.renderSync(templateData);
                 return html;