diff --git a/dynd/cpp/array.pxd b/dynd/cpp/array.pxd
index 07511a2c..e76c988c 100644
--- a/dynd/cpp/array.pxd
+++ b/dynd/cpp/array.pxd
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ from libcpp cimport bool
 from libcpp.map cimport map
 from libcpp.string cimport string
 from libcpp.vector cimport vector
-from .type cimport type
+from .type cimport type, property_t
 
 cdef extern from 'dynd/array.hpp' namespace 'dynd::nd' nogil:
 
@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@ cdef extern from 'dynd/array.hpp' namespace 'dynd::nd' nogil:
 
         array view_scalars(type&) except +translate_exception
 
+        @staticmethod
+        array from_type_property(const property_t &) except +translate_exception
+
         bool is_null()
 
         void assign(array &) except +translate_exception
diff --git a/dynd/cpp/type.pxd b/dynd/cpp/type.pxd
index 75d0e31c..192cc97d 100644
--- a/dynd/cpp/type.pxd
+++ b/dynd/cpp/type.pxd
@@ -1,14 +1,16 @@
 from libcpp cimport bool
 from libcpp.map cimport map
 from libcpp.string cimport string
+from libcpp.pair cimport pair
 
 from .types.type_id cimport *
 
 from ..config cimport translate_exception
-from .array cimport array
-from .callable cimport callable
 
 cdef extern from 'dynd/type.hpp' namespace 'dynd::ndt' nogil:
+    cdef cppclass type
+    ctypedef pair[type, const char *] property_t
+
     cdef cppclass type:
         type()
         type(type_id_t) except +translate_exception
@@ -20,7 +22,7 @@ cdef extern from 'dynd/type.hpp' namespace 'dynd::ndt' nogil:
         size_t get_arrmeta_size()
         type get_canonical_type()
 
-        map[string, callable] get_properties()
+        map[string, property_t] get_properties()
 
         bool is_builtin()
         bool is_null()
@@ -35,5 +37,3 @@ cdef extern from 'dynd/type.hpp' namespace 'dynd::ndt' nogil:
 
     type make_type[T]() except +translate_exception
 
-cdef extern from 'dynd/type.hpp' namespace 'dynd' nogil:
-    void get_builtin_type_dynamic_array_properties(type_id_t, map[string, callable] &)
diff --git a/dynd/nd/array.pyx b/dynd/nd/array.pyx
index cbf72d38..fc9eae00 100644
--- a/dynd/nd/array.pyx
+++ b/dynd/nd/array.pyx
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ from ..cpp.array cimport (groupby as dynd_groupby, array_add, array_subtract,
                           array_multiply, array_divide, empty as cpp_empty,
                           dtyped_zeros, dtyped_ones, dtyped_empty)
 from ..cpp.callable_registry cimport callable_registry
-from ..cpp.type cimport get_builtin_type_dynamic_array_properties, make_type
+from ..cpp.type cimport make_type
 from ..cpp.types.categorical_type cimport dynd_make_categorical_type
 from ..cpp.types.datashape_formatter cimport format_datashape as dynd_format_datashape
 from ..cpp.types.type_id cimport *
diff --git a/dynd/ndt/type.pyx b/dynd/ndt/type.pyx
index a6cedb35..9ed5470e 100644
--- a/dynd/ndt/type.pyx
+++ b/dynd/ndt/type.pyx
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ from libc.stdint cimport (intptr_t, int8_t, int16_t, int32_t, int64_t,
 from libcpp.map cimport map
 from libcpp.string cimport string
 from libcpp.vector cimport vector
+from libcpp.pair cimport pair
 from libcpp cimport bool as cpp_bool
 
 import datetime
@@ -35,6 +36,8 @@ from ..cpp.types.string_type cimport string_type
 from ..cpp.types.bytes_type cimport make as make_bytes_type
 from ..cpp.callable cimport callable as _callable
 from ..cpp.type cimport make_type
+from ..cpp.type cimport type as dynd_ndt_type
+from ..cpp.array cimport array as dynd_nd_array
 from ..cpp.complex cimport complex as dynd_complex
 
 from ..config cimport translate_exception
@@ -228,13 +231,11 @@ cdef class type(object):
         if self.v.is_null():
             raise AttributeError(name)
 
-        cdef _callable p
-        cdef map[string, _callable] properties = self.v.get_properties()
-        p = properties[name]
-        if (not p.is_null()):
-            return dynd_nd_array_from_cpp(p(self.v))
+        cdef pair[dynd_ndt_type, const char*] p = self.v.get_properties()[name]
+        if p.first.is_null():
+            raise AttributeError(name)
 
-        raise AttributeError(name)
+        return dynd_nd_array_from_cpp(dynd_nd_array.from_type_property(p))
 
     def __str__(self):
         return str(<char *>_type_str(self.v).c_str())