Named for Reverend Doctor Samuel Parkes Cadman (1864–1936), a renowned minister in the Brooklyn Congregational Church, it is built on land reclaimed by condemnation in 1935 and was named as a park in 1939.

The plaza is bounded by Cadman Plaza East (formerly Washington Street) and Cadman Plaza West (formerly Ferry Road or Fulton Road),[2] and by the Brooklyn Bridge on the north and Tillary Street on the south.

East of the park is the Theodore Roosevelt United States Courthouse.

South of this park, between Tillary and Johnson Streets, lies the small Korean War Veterans Plaza.

South of Johnson, the Kings County Supreme Court Building and Columbus Park, featuring a statue of Christopher Columbus, sit on land formerly used as a station for trolley cars.