Late Defense Exec’s Laguna Beach Home for Sale

The Laguna Beach home of late defense industry executive James Mellor is on the market.

The 6,906-square-foot manse at 15 Montage Way is for sale for $29 million, the Orange County Register reported. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties’ Shauna Covington and Leita Covington hold the listing.

Mellor died in February 2025 at age 94, and his wife Suzanne died last November at 91. The former chairman and CEO of defense contractor General Dynamics purchased the home with his wife in July 2009 for $17.7 million, amid the early days of the Great Financial Crisis,according to public records cited by the Register. The property is one of 14 homes located in the Montage Laguna Beach luxury resort, whose services and amenities homeowners in the development have access to.

In 2012, the Mellors undertook a renovation effort at the four-bedroom, five-bathroom home that added another living area, a spa and several skylights. The primary suite has multiple walk-in closets and its own stone fireplace and sitting area with direct access to the backyard, while the primary bathroom has a soaking tub and steam shower.

The entry level of the home has an art studio, and the lower level — accessible by elevator — has a wood-paneled office, a media room, a billiards room with a wet bar and a 690-bottle climate-controlled wine cellar with an accompanying tasting area and a fireplace. The outdoor portion of the property boasts an infinity-edge spa as well as a lanai with a fireplace, outdoor shower and heaters overlooking the ocean.

Mellor retired in 1996 and settled in Laguna Beach, later serving on the boards of the Laguna Playhouse and the Laguna College of Art and Design.

Luxury homes in Laguna Beach have made headlines in recent weeks following a record-breaking sale in Emerald Bay. The home at 2585 Riviera Drive traded for $110 million in what is the priciest residential transaction in Orange County history, The Real Deal reported last month.

— Chris Malone Méndez