Bueller?

What goes in the hole where the crack ends?

And a picture showing more of the area, including the beam would be helpful.

Is there a finished floor over the area?

Who is doing the work?

Good morning PPF, thank you for taking a look. We had a wall taken out that was separating kitchen and living areas. Two posts are supporting the beam. They will be on the ends of the new to be installed kitchen island. In this picture you can see the living area to the right, and the kitchen and formal dining to the left. There had been carpet (25 yr old) and it will be replaced with LVP. Aside from the drywall being removed for the beam, there was another wall from the old kitchen and dining room perpendicular that was removed and a couple of square in ceiling light boxes. The plan is to keep as much of the living and dining ceiling as possible as It’s a big area and so much else is happening in the house. We have 3 estimates from highly rated drywall companies. Aside from the crack and new drywall going in the kitchen area, a mud room laundry area was built and we have 2 separate rooms that have bizarre ceiling texture along with 5 other ceiling patches from square light boxes that are being handled. As a result we are after drywall companies with referrals that can match in and re-do texture so that it doesn’t look like patchwork when done. The company we like the most planned to patch. 2nd company planned a patch as well. 3rd company wants to cut an opening the size of a full sheet and place it where the crack would be in the center of the new sheet. He also said he would not screw it into the beam but let it float. The last company is high on the list because they do some restoration work where matching up is paramount. Seems like cutting and placing the new sheet is the right way to go, 1st guy has a reputation of being meticulous so we are surprised he didn’t recommend more than a patch. If the crack was new I think we wouldn’t think twice about a patch. House is from 1967. There was also a chimney vent on the far side of the post in the picture that was removed. That along with wall take down and beam install likely created the deeper crack.

Here is a picture of the beam facing the opposite direction (so crack would be behind you on the left)

as for who’s doing the work, various contractors. We did a bunch of the demo, and right now our only work is the taking down and putting up insulation while rough plumbing and rough electrical have been worked on.

Thank you @ksc36 that’s now the plan!