diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index a3e85e1..01814dc 100755
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ setup_kwargs['options'] = {}
 # metadata
 #
 
-# Utility function to read the README file.  
+# Utility function to read the README file.
 # Used for the long_description.  It's nice, because now 1) we have a top level
 # README file and 2) it's easier to type in the README file than to put a raw
 # string in below ...
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ doc_files = ['COPYING.txt', 'README.rst', 'CONTRIBUTORS.rst', 'sample_config.py'
 def recursive_data_files(src, dest=None):
     if dest is None:
         dest = src
-    
+
     ret = []
     for dirpath, dirnames, filenames in os.walk(src):
         current_dest = os.path.relpath(dirpath, src)
@@ -70,9 +70,9 @@ def recursive_data_files(src, dest=None):
             current_dest = dest
         else:
             current_dest = os.path.join(dest, current_dest)
-        
+
         current_sources = map(lambda p: os.path.join(dirpath, p), filenames)
-        
+
         ret.append((current_dest, current_sources))
     return ret
 
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ def recursive_package_data(src, package_dir='overviewer_core'):
         current_path = os.path.relpath(dirpath, package_dir)
         for filename in filenames:
             ret.append(os.path.join(current_path, filename))
-    
+
     return ret
 
 #
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ except Exception:
     pil_include = [ os.path.join(get_python_inc(plat_specific=1), 'Imaging') ]
     if not os.path.exists(pil_include[0]):
         pil_include = [ ]
-        
+
 
 # used to figure out what files to compile
 # auto-created from files in primitives/, but we need the raw names so
@@ -179,28 +179,28 @@ class CustomClean(clean):
     def run(self):
         # do the normal cleanup
         clean.run(self)
-        
+
         # try to remove '_composite.{so,pyd,...}' extension,
         # regardless of the current system's extension name convention
         build_ext = self.get_finalized_command('build_ext')
         ext_fname = build_ext.get_ext_filename('overviewer_core.c_overviewer')
         versionpath = os.path.join("overviewer_core", "overviewer_version.py")
         primspath = os.path.join("overviewer_core", "src", "primitives.h")
-        
+
         for fname in [ext_fname, primspath]:
             if os.path.exists(fname):
                 try:
                     log.info("removing '%s'", fname)
                     if not self.dry_run:
                         os.remove(fname)
-                        
+
                 except OSError:
                     log.warn("'%s' could not be cleaned -- permission denied",
                              fname)
             else:
                 log.debug("'%s' does not exist -- can't clean it",
                           fname)
-        
+
         # now try to purge all *.pyc files
         for root, dirs, files in os.walk(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), ".")):
             for f in files:
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ def generate_version_py():
 def generate_primitives_h():
     global primitives
     prims = [p.lower().replace('-', '_') for p in primitives]
-    
+
     outstr = "/* this file is auto-generated by setup.py */\n"
     for p in prims:
         outstr += "extern RenderPrimitiveInterface primitive_{0};\n".format(p)
@@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ def generate_primitives_h():
         outstr += "    &primitive_{0},\n".format(p)
     outstr += "    NULL\n"
     outstr += "};\n"
-    
+
     with open("overviewer_core/src/primitives.h", "w") as f:
         f.write(outstr)
 
@@ -268,7 +268,9 @@ class CustomBuildExt(build_ext):
                 e.extra_compile_args.append("-Wno-unused-variable") # quell some annoying warnings
                 e.extra_compile_args.append("-Wno-unused-function") # quell some annoying warnings
                 e.extra_compile_args.append("-Wdeclaration-after-statement")
-                e.extra_compile_args.append("-Werror=declaration-after-statement")
+                p = platform.linux_distribution()
+                if not (p[0] == 'CentOS' and p[1][0] == '5'):
+                    e.extra_compile_args.append("-Werror=declaration-after-statement")
 
 
         # build in place, and in the build/ tree
@@ -276,7 +278,7 @@ class CustomBuildExt(build_ext):
         build_ext.build_extensions(self)
         self.inplace = True
         build_ext.build_extensions(self)
-        
+
 
 setup_kwargs['cmdclass']['clean'] = CustomClean
 setup_kwargs['cmdclass']['sdist'] = CustomSDist