Unless you're a cat or owl, the little details are based in larger forms. Everything blurry edges. Visual acuity of reason falls at night is because the focus of the vision which we see small detail is filled with photoreceptors that only work best in bright light.
James Perry Wilson, the artist famous for his diorama backdrops, passed this subjective experience in this architectural rendering. It softens the edges and details suppressed everywhere except in the lighted windows where light levels are higher. 
Assuming he wanted to simulate this perception because it made Edward McDonald is not quite as effective because he kept all his too sharp edges. If you are using night photography as a reference, remember that the camera does not see that the eye is, and you need to do this if you want to suggest human vision.
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GJ Related posts: ..
James Perry Wilson, Part 1 and Part 2
Why the moon is blue
day for night shooting
Images of "Color in Sketches and made" by Arthur Guptill. It is a book on watercolor rendering, mostly architectural subjects, with many color plates, one of the best books of Guptill.
