diff --git a/cpp/CMakeLists.txt b/cpp/CMakeLists.txt
index 6d701079b482c..6ed2768d13918 100644
--- a/cpp/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/cpp/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -378,6 +378,16 @@ function(ADD_ARROW_TEST_DEPENDENCIES REL_TEST_NAME)
   add_dependencies(${TEST_NAME} ${ARGN})
 endfunction()
 
+# A wrapper for target_link_libraries() that is compatible with NO_TESTS.
+function(ARROW_TEST_LINK_LIBRARIES REL_TEST_NAME)
+  if(NO_TESTS)
+    return()
+  endif()
+  get_filename_component(TEST_NAME ${REL_TEST_NAME} NAME_WE)
+
+  target_link_libraries(${TEST_NAME} ${ARGN})
+endfunction()
+
 enable_testing()
 
 ############################################################
@@ -528,6 +538,7 @@ set(ARROW_SRCS
   src/arrow/ipc/metadata-internal.cc
 
   src/arrow/types/construct.cc
+  src/arrow/types/decimal.cc
   src/arrow/types/json.cc
   src/arrow/types/list.cc
   src/arrow/types/primitive.cc
diff --git a/cpp/src/arrow/parquet/CMakeLists.txt b/cpp/src/arrow/parquet/CMakeLists.txt
index 7b449affab025..f9479900bb135 100644
--- a/cpp/src/arrow/parquet/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/cpp/src/arrow/parquet/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -19,9 +19,12 @@
 # arrow_parquet : Arrow <-> Parquet adapter
 
 set(PARQUET_SRCS
+    schema.cc
 )
 
 set(PARQUET_LIBS
+    arrow
+    ${PARQUET_SHARED_LIB}
 )
 
 add_library(arrow_parquet STATIC
@@ -30,6 +33,9 @@ add_library(arrow_parquet STATIC
 target_link_libraries(arrow_parquet ${PARQUET_LIBS})
 SET_TARGET_PROPERTIES(arrow_parquet PROPERTIES LINKER_LANGUAGE CXX)
 
+ADD_ARROW_TEST(parquet-schema-test)
+ARROW_TEST_LINK_LIBRARIES(parquet-schema-test arrow_parquet)
+
 # Headers: top level
 install(FILES
   DESTINATION include/arrow/parquet)
diff --git a/cpp/src/arrow/parquet/parquet-schema-test.cc b/cpp/src/arrow/parquet/parquet-schema-test.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..e562df9c57704
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cpp/src/arrow/parquet/parquet-schema-test.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+// Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+// or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+// distributed with this work for additional information
+// regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+// to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+// "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+// with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+// software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+// "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+// KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+// specific language governing permissions and limitations
+// under the License.
+
+#include "gtest/gtest.h"
+
+#include "arrow/parquet/schema.h"
+
+namespace arrow {
+
+namespace parquet {
+
+using parquet_cpp::Repetition;
+using parquet_cpp::schema::NodePtr;
+using parquet_cpp::schema::PrimitiveNode;
+
+TEST(TestNodeConversion, Primitive) {
+  NodePtr node = PrimitiveNode::Make("boolean", Repetition::REQUIRED,
+      parquet_cpp::Type::BOOLEAN);
+  std::shared_ptr<Field> field = NodeToField(node);
+  ASSERT_EQ(field->name, "boolean");
+  ASSERT_TRUE(field->type->Equals(std::make_shared<BooleanType>()));
+  ASSERT_FALSE(field->nullable);
+
+  node = PrimitiveNode::Make("int32", Repetition::REQUIRED, parquet_cpp::Type::INT32);
+  field = NodeToField(node);
+  ASSERT_EQ(field->name, "int32");
+  ASSERT_TRUE(field->type->Equals(std::make_shared<Int32Type>()));
+  ASSERT_FALSE(field->nullable);
+
+  node = PrimitiveNode::Make("int64", Repetition::REQUIRED, parquet_cpp::Type::INT64);
+  field = NodeToField(node);
+  ASSERT_EQ(field->name, "int64");
+  ASSERT_TRUE(field->type->Equals(std::make_shared<Int64Type>()));
+  ASSERT_FALSE(field->nullable);
+
+  // case parquet_cpp::Type::INT96:
+  // TODO: Implement!
+  // node = PrimitiveNode::Make("int96", Repetition::REQUIRED, parquet_cpp::Type::INT96);
+  // field = NodeToField(node);
+  // TODO: Assertions
+
+  // case parquet_cpp::Type::FLOAT:
+  node = PrimitiveNode::Make("float", Repetition::REQUIRED, parquet_cpp::Type::FLOAT);
+  field = NodeToField(node);
+  ASSERT_EQ(field->name, "float");
+  ASSERT_TRUE(field->type->Equals(std::make_shared<FloatType>()));
+  ASSERT_FALSE(field->nullable);
+
+  // case parquet_cpp::Type::DOUBLE:
+  node = PrimitiveNode::Make("double", Repetition::REQUIRED, parquet_cpp::Type::DOUBLE);
+  field = NodeToField(node);
+  ASSERT_EQ(field->name, "double");
+  ASSERT_TRUE(field->type->Equals(std::make_shared<DoubleType>()));
+  ASSERT_FALSE(field->nullable);
+
+  // TODO: Implement!
+  // node = PrimitiveNode::Make("byte_array", Repetition::REQUIRED,
+  //    parquet_cpp::Type::BYTE_ARRAY);
+  // field = NodeToField(node);
+  // TODO: Assertions
+
+  // TODO: Implement!
+  // node = PrimitiveNode::Make("fixed_len_byte_array", Repetition::REQUIRED,
+  //    parquet_cpp::Type::FIXED_LEN_BYTE_ARRAY);
+  // field = NodeToField(node);
+  // TODO: Assertions
+}
+
+TEST(TestNodeConversion, Logical) {
+}
+
+TEST(TestSchemaConversion, Basics) {
+}
+
+} // namespace parquet
+
+} // namespace arrow
diff --git a/cpp/src/arrow/parquet/schema.cc b/cpp/src/arrow/parquet/schema.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..3ac169d2fe1dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cpp/src/arrow/parquet/schema.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+// Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+// or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+// distributed with this work for additional information
+// regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+// to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+// "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+// with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+// software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+// "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+// KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+// specific language governing permissions and limitations
+// under the License.
+
+#include <vector>
+
+#include "arrow/parquet/schema.h"
+#include "arrow/types/decimal.h"
+
+using parquet_cpp::schema::Node;
+using parquet_cpp::schema::NodePtr;
+using parquet_cpp::schema::GroupNode;
+using parquet_cpp::schema::PrimitiveNode;
+
+namespace arrow {
+
+namespace parquet {
+
+
+TypePtr MakeDecimalType(const PrimitiveNode* node) {
+  int precision = node->decimal_metadata().precision;
+  int scale = node->decimal_metadata().scale;
+  return TypePtr(new DecimalType(precision, scale));
+}
+
+// TODO: Logical Type Handling
+std::shared_ptr<Field> NodeToField(const NodePtr& node) {
+  TypePtr type;
+
+  if (node->is_group()) {
+    const GroupNode* group = static_cast<const GroupNode*>(node.get());
+    std::vector<std::shared_ptr<Field>> fields;
+    for (int i = 0; i < group->field_count(); i++) {
+      fields.push_back(NodeToField(group->field(i)));
+    }
+    type = TypePtr(new StructType(fields));
+  } else {
+    // Primitive (leaf) node
+    const PrimitiveNode* primitive = static_cast<const PrimitiveNode*>(node.get());
+
+    switch (primitive->physical_type()) {
+      case parquet_cpp::Type::BOOLEAN:
+        type = TypePtr(new BooleanType());
+        break;
+      case parquet_cpp::Type::INT32:
+        type = TypePtr(new Int32Type());
+        break;
+      case parquet_cpp::Type::INT64:
+        type = TypePtr(new Int64Type());
+        break;
+      case parquet_cpp::Type::INT96:
+        // TODO: Do we have that type in Arrow?
+        // type = TypePtr(new Int96Type());
+        break;
+      case parquet_cpp::Type::FLOAT:
+        type = TypePtr(new FloatType());
+        break;
+      case parquet_cpp::Type::DOUBLE:
+        type = TypePtr(new DoubleType());
+        break;
+      case parquet_cpp::Type::BYTE_ARRAY:
+        // TODO: Do we have that type in Arrow?
+        // type = TypePtr(new Int96Type());
+        break;
+      case parquet_cpp::Type::FIXED_LEN_BYTE_ARRAY:
+        switch (primitive->logical_type()) {
+          case parquet_cpp::LogicalType::DECIMAL:
+            type = MakeDecimalType(primitive);
+            break;
+          default:
+              // TODO: Do we have that type in Arrow?
+            break;
+        }
+        break;
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (node->is_repeated()) {
+    type = TypePtr(new ListType(type));
+  }
+
+  return std::shared_ptr<Field>(new Field(node->name(), type, !node->is_required()));
+}
+
+std::shared_ptr<Schema> FromParquetSchema(
+    const parquet_cpp::SchemaDescriptor* parquet_schema) {
+  std::vector<std::shared_ptr<Field>> fields;
+  const GroupNode* schema_node = static_cast<const GroupNode*>(
+      parquet_schema->schema().get());
+
+  // TODO: What to with the head node?
+  for (int i = 0; i < schema_node->field_count(); i++) {
+    fields.push_back(NodeToField(schema_node->field(i)));
+  }
+
+  return std::shared_ptr<Schema>(new Schema(fields));
+}
+
+} // namespace parquet
+
+} // namespace arrow
diff --git a/cpp/src/arrow/parquet/schema.h b/cpp/src/arrow/parquet/schema.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..0071681656b8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cpp/src/arrow/parquet/schema.h
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+// Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+// or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+// distributed with this work for additional information
+// regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+// to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+// "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+// with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+// software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+// "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+// KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+// specific language governing permissions and limitations
+// under the License.
+
+#ifndef ARROW_PARQUET_SCHEMA_H
+#define ARROW_PARQUET_SCHEMA_H
+
+#include <arrow/schema.h>
+#include <arrow/type.h>
+#include <parquet/schema/descriptor.h>
+#include <parquet/schema/types.h>
+
+#include <memory>
+
+namespace arrow {
+
+namespace parquet {
+
+std::shared_ptr<Field> NodeToField(const parquet_cpp::schema::NodePtr& node);
+std::shared_ptr<Schema> FromParquetSchema(
+    const parquet_cpp::SchemaDescriptor* parquet_schema);
+
+} // namespace parquet
+
+} // namespace arrow
+
+#endif
diff --git a/cpp/src/arrow/types/decimal.cc b/cpp/src/arrow/types/decimal.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..f120c1a9dfde6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cpp/src/arrow/types/decimal.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+// Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+// or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+// distributed with this work for additional information
+// regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+// to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+// "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+// with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+// software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+// "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+// KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+// specific language governing permissions and limitations
+// under the License.
+
+#include "arrow/types/decimal.h"
+
+#include <sstream>
+#include <string>
+
+namespace arrow {
+
+std::string DecimalType::ToString() const {
+  std::stringstream s;
+  s << "decimal(" << precision << ", " << scale << ")";
+  return s.str();
+}
+
+} // namespace arrow
+
diff --git a/cpp/src/arrow/types/decimal.h b/cpp/src/arrow/types/decimal.h
index 464c3ff8da92b..26243b42b0e7d 100644
--- a/cpp/src/arrow/types/decimal.h
+++ b/cpp/src/arrow/types/decimal.h
@@ -18,13 +18,24 @@
 #ifndef ARROW_TYPES_DECIMAL_H
 #define ARROW_TYPES_DECIMAL_H
 
+#include <string>
+
 #include "arrow/type.h"
 
 namespace arrow {
 
 struct DecimalType : public DataType {
+  explicit DecimalType(int precision_, int scale_)
+      : DataType(Type::DECIMAL), precision(precision_),
+        scale(scale_) { }
   int precision;
   int scale;
+
+  static char const *name() {
+    return "decimal";
+  }
+
+  std::string ToString() const override;
 };
 
 } // namespace arrow