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Preservation advocates are pushing for the state of Oregon to offer a tax credit for rehabilitation of historic commercial buildings.

Officials with Restore Oregon, a Portland-based nonprofit that supports historic preservation, plan to lobby for the state income tax credit during the 2015 legislative session, Executive Director Peggy Moretti said.

The credit could be combined with federal historic preservation tax credits to help cover the cost of refurbishing older buildings. It would serve as another incentive for owners of historic buildings to invest in costly code-related and seismic upgrades, Moretti said.

“We feel this is the most important thing that we can do to enable the preservation of historic buildings,” she said.

Restore Oregon has touted a state historic preservation tax credit as a way to help revitalize cities’ downtowns. Such incentives have been successful in other parts of the country, and 34 states offer tax credits similar to the one proposed by Restore Oregon, Moretti said.