diff --git a/cpp_prototype/CMakeLists.txt b/cpp_prototype/CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..58cbc4b90
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cpp_prototype/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.10)
+
+message(STATUS "CMake version ${CMAKE_VERSION}")
+
+set(LANGUAGES C CXX)
+set(BML_BUILD_FORTRAN_INTERFACE TRUE CACHE BOOL
+  "Build the Fortran API (requires a Fortran compiler)")
+if(BML_BUILD_FORTRAN_INTERFACE)
+  list(APPEND LANGUAGES Fortran)
+endif()
+
+set(BML_BUILD_PYTHON_INTERFACE TRUE CACHE BOOL
+  "Build the Python API (requires Python dev package)")
+
+project(bml ${LANGUAGES}) # don't move this line as it changes PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR
+
+add_subdirectory(src)
+add_subdirectory(tests)
diff --git a/cpp_prototype/src/CMakeLists.txt b/cpp_prototype/src/CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..61cd4f200
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cpp_prototype/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+add_library(bml
+    bml_allocate.cc)
diff --git a/cpp_prototype/src/bml.h b/cpp_prototype/src/bml.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..eee51cece
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cpp_prototype/src/bml.h
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+#ifndef __BML_H
+#define __BML_H
+
+#endif
diff --git a/cpp_prototype/src/bml_allocate.cc b/cpp_prototype/src/bml_allocate.cc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..abc445674
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cpp_prototype/src/bml_allocate.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#include "bml_types.h"
+
+#include <stdlib.h>
+
+void * bml_allocate(int rows)
+{
+    return malloc(10);
+}
diff --git a/cpp_prototype/src/bml_types.h b/cpp_prototype/src/bml_types.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..acf4f47fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cpp_prototype/src/bml_types.h
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+#ifndef __BML_TYPES_H
+#define __BML_TYPES_H
+
+typedef void * BML_MATRIX_DENSE_T;
+
+#endif
diff --git a/cpp_prototype/tests/CMakeLists.txt b/cpp_prototype/tests/CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f997753d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cpp_prototype/tests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+include_directories(${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src)
+add_executable(bml-test
+    bml-test.cc)
diff --git a/cpp_prototype/tests/bml-test.cc b/cpp_prototype/tests/bml-test.cc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2fbdc929a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cpp_prototype/tests/bml-test.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+#include <bml.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+
+int main() {
+    printf("starting tests\n");
+}