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A significant portion of the decorative ceiling in the Portland Art Museum鈥檚 largest ballroom has fallen, causing officials to close the event space for the foreseeable future.

No one was injured in the incident, which occurred shortly after 11 a.m. Tuesday, museum spokesman Ian Gillingham said. No artwork was damaged.

Structural engineers from KPFF have determined the Mark Building is structurally sound, Gillingham said. The roof and other structural elements of the building were not affected.

The ceiling portion that fell is wood boards nailed together to look like beams.

鈥淭hese aren鈥檛 actual beams that came down,鈥� Gillingham said.

About a third of the decorative ceiling fell, he said.

鈥淲e hope to have determined the cause with the structural engineers by the end of next week,鈥� Gillingham said.

There was no immediate information on how the damage would be repaired.

Workers will focus on shoring up the remaining ceiling. Museum Conservator Samantha Springer is working with the contractors to protect the historic wall murals during the construction, Gareth Nevitt, the museum鈥檚 chief financial officer, stated in an email.

Environmental testing found no hazardous materials, Nevitt stated.

The Kridel Grand Ballroom is one of the largest event spaces in downtown Portland, with a reception capacity of 1,000 people and banquet seating for 560. Museum staff are scrambling to accommodate scheduled events. A Volunteers of America banquet scheduled for Thursday was moved to the Fields Ballroom near the building鈥檚 entrance.

The museum is also scheduled to host the Portland Book Festival (formerly Wordstock) on Nov. 9.

The ballroom became a premier event space after a 2005 renovation. The Grateful Dead played there in 1967.

鈥淪o many of us share fond memories of attending events with our friends and families in the Grand Ballroom,鈥� Brian Ferriso, the museum鈥檚 director and chief curator, stated in a press release. 鈥淲e are doing everything possible to return this treasured space to the community.鈥�

Work has not yet begun on the Rothko Pavilion, an approximately $75 million renovation and expansion of the art museum that was approved by the Historic Landmarks Commission in May. Mortenson Construction is the general contractor. The design 鈥� by Chicago鈥檚聽Vinci | Hamp Architects聽and Portland鈥檚聽Hennebery Eddy Architects聽鈥� centers on a four-story glass box bridging the museum鈥檚 Belluschi and Mark buildings.